Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale (Old Version)
by crod42
Summary: While the events in this story have been changed in the Remastered Version, I left this up here for everyone's enjoyment and for people who want to compare. Thank you to everyone who followed me in this one despite all the mistakes I've made.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello, everybody. To those who have been following me, I am back and it feels good! Let me tell you something: college is HARD! I will say no more, but let's just say my life keeps getting turned upside-down. That is why you all haven't heard from me in a while. Also, to people that have been following my other stories, read the bottom AN carefully.**

 **So, an Attack on Titan fanfic. I never expected to get into an anime like this one, but here I am. While crossovers are fun, they are taxing to the mind when you have to work with two universes. SNK/AOT's universe is complicated enough as it is. And I get to put a self-insert—I mean, OC, for the first time. This will be fun…and tragic, given the universe.**

 **Well, let's not waste any more time. It's time for the exposition chapter!**

* * *

Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 1: A Lot of Background

 _"Hello, anybody who is reading my journal. My name is Dillon Amsdale. If you are reading this, provided my handwriting is still legible, then I'm either dead, famous, or have given it to my children…if I actually have children by then. Kinda have to find a girl and get married first. If you are curious, it is currently 847 and I am on my way to getting trained in the 104_ _th_ _Training Corps, or Cadet Corps. Whatever you wanna call it._

" _So, why am I writing this? Because I may die sooner than I thought, and I want to at least have my story be told. Fair warning: there will be an aspect of me that you will not believe is possible, and I don't expect you to. There are days_ I _find it hard to believe. Or worse, my power has been exposed and the Wall Worshippers (yes, that is what I'm calling them. Get over it!) have branded me a demon, or something stupid like that, and had me shot or burned at the stake. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and make your own decisions here. I'm not asking you to like me. I'm asking you to listen to my story._

" _Before I begin, let me tell you a little bit about myself and my parents. Feel free to read ahead if this bores you, but I'm hoping someone will actually appreciate me doing this. I'm roughly five-foot-five, though Dad says I'll be going through a growth spurt eventually. I've got brown hair that doesn't get longer, but thicker, and brown eyes to match. I also have a bit of a muscular build thanks to my job as a blacksmith. Why am I giving you this description of me? Because I can't draw worth a damn, and I seriously doubt anyone would ever take the time to so for me._

" _So, that's me. Now for my parents. Matthew and Carolyn Amsdale. My dad can look intimidating with that black beard combined with the muscles, but he's actually a nice person once you get to know him. I'm hoping he's still alive when you read this so he can prove it to you. He's been in the blacksmith business longer than I have. Hell, he was the one that created Amsdale's Forge. One of the best ideas he ever had._

" _Still, if you think my dad is scary, you should meet Mom. Two words: defense attorney. You do not want to get on her bad side. Take brown eyes peering through glasses that I don't think she actually needs, hair tied up in a professional bun, and combine both a look that says, 'I am going to win this,' and you've got my mom. You can thank her for how good my writing is. She has the respect of the people in Wall Sina, but that doesn't extend to the Military Police. It was because of her several of their corrupt officers are currently rotting in prison. Fortunately, they can't do anything to us, what with the support of the people and approval from Commander-in-Chief Darius Zackley during a couple of court sessions. We're safe…for now._

" _Like I mentioned, we live in the luxurious Wall Sina on the edge of Yarckel District. It's thanks to this factory city my dad and I were able to make a living as blacksmiths. Not only did we create swords for the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear, or 3DM Gear as I'll call it from now on, but we've made regular swords of all sizes, knifes, a couple of maces at one point, and we even make our own gun powder. While the swords for the 3DM Gear always go to the military, people still want us to make them weapons for the right price. Naturally, we keep a detailed catalog over who buys what weapons in case there are stupid enough to commit crimes around these areas. We've had a few people try to rob our store for various reasons throughout the years, and they usually got a forge hammer to the face for their troubles. They survived, but it was a message for us not to be trifled with. One person actually tried to kill me not too long ago, and my dad killed him…brutally. I didn't see him do it, thank God, but I did hear it._

" _Still, it was the first attempted robbery when I was seven that my dad decided to teach me how to fight more often. Sure, a year ago, he gave a few pointers, but with the threat of people wanting to kill real, I had to learn the tools of the trade. There was only one rule my father swore to follow: never train me when he was angry. He would never forgive himself if he lashed out at me with the intention of hurting someone. That vow didn't stop the bruises, the scratches, the scars, and dislocated body parts. The most painful lesson he ever taught me was how to relocate a dislocated body part. Don't worry. I was twelve when he taught me that. I'm thirteen right now in case you were wondering. Because of him, I am well-versed in hand-to-hand combat, sword fighting, and knife usage. What I am terrible at is ranged weapons. I am a terrible shot and terrible at throwing knifes. Give me a gun and I will hit everything but the target. I'm hoping the military life fixes that somewhat._

" _Okay, this is the part where I say something that you will probably not believe. Again, that's your right to do so. In fact, if you choose to think of every single moment I bring it up as fantasy, you may. I won't hold it against you. Ready? I also have the ability to read minds!_

" _I'm hoping you didn't close the journal right there. If you haven't, thank you for hearing me out. My dad and I have this ability to be able to read people minds, an ability I've had since I was six. That's not all, though. We can look at a person and dive right into their minds to find certain memories that are important to them or us. My dad used that technique on me whenever I couldn't remember something I had lost. We can also damage someone's mind if we choose to. If we are careful, we can extract memories without hurting someone. If we choose not to be, it's going to hurt for a while. Remember that one robber my father killed? He mind-blasted him to death. The results were not pretty._

" _Here are the flaws with our abilities: mind reading, memory searching, and mental attacks are draining. Lightheadedness, for one thing. We can only do this stuff for so long before we get headaches, and it's not a long time at all. Our abilities require a lot of mental focus. Without that focus, that concentration, we can't use our powers. We also had to establish mental blocks inside our minds in precise locations. Why? When I was six, I discovered I had this ability, I started receiving thoughts from everyone around me. That's too much for the mind to take and it would've driven me insane. Fortunately, Dad established said blocks to keep the thoughts out. Unless I was actively seeking them, no thoughts would flow in uninvited. I have to reestablish the blocks once every few years as my abilities grow stronger with age and training._

" _I think that's everything. So, with all this information in mind, you are probably waiting for me to entertain you with my story. Let us begin_

" _It all started in Year 845. We were not informed of the horrors that came upon Wall Maria until a week later. The idea of Titans overrunning Wall Maria was a nightmare we never wanted to wake up to, but it happened. Of course, we were frightened. I mean, the idea of the Colossal Titan being able to loom_ over _the wall, and the idea of an Armored Titan being able to smash through it were threats we could never conceive of until then. They were real and they presented that looming danger that threatens to wipe humanity of the face of the planet._

" _Worst of all, we had so many refuges running into Wall Rose, some even making it to Wall Sina. Don't get me wrong! I was happy that there were so many survivors, considering the circumstances, but homelessness and food and water shortages were very real threats. After all, we just lost an entire wall. It was so bad that in 846, the government ordered 250,000 refugees, with some soldiers added to them, about 20 percent of the human population, to 'retake Wall Maria.' In other words, 'die so we can live.' Yeah, the government didn't have the decency to have people from Wall Rose or Sina go out there. Apparently, we were superior to the refugees. Less than 200 people made it back alive. Murderous assholes, our government. If that statement doesn't get me killed one day, I don't know what will._

" _When I found out about the massacre, I decided I was going to join the military. Naturally, my parents were more than a little concerned about my choice of career, and I remember saying this to them: 'Two hundred and fifty thousand people died so that we could live!_ We _should've been sent out there instead of those refugees. Instead, we were eating a nice meal while the Titans were having their own in form of those people. Besides, I've got mind powers, which are wasted here. I'd rather be out there fighting Titans and saving people instead of staying while waiting to hear of the next attack.'_

" _Okay, I wasn't_ that _proper, professional, or good with words that time, but the intent was still there. They gave me their blessing with the promise of me writing to them every now and then. I had to wait another year until I could enlist again since the deadline passed at that point, but it gave me time to prepare._

" _And now, that time has come. This is my first time venturing away from Wall Sina. I am going into uncharted territory, and I am nervous. Dad warned me my three years were going to be tough and soul-crushing at times, but he and Mom have faith in my abilities to adapt and survive this situation. It's going to be about a week before I make it to the compound. Once that happens, there's no going back._

" _I hope that last statement was dramatic enough. This is a story, after all."_

* * *

 **AN:** **So, really bad news and not so bad news. The really bad news is that I am not going to continue the Sky Warriors. It has been discontinued. I have completely lost my drive with that story. I know a lot of you will be disappointed, but I'm less so. If you guys like that story, feel free to read it. I am not a fan. I feel it was very amateurish and I could've tried harder to make it better. The not-so-bad news is the Jedi from Earth V2 and Justice League: The Keybearer are going on a temporary hiatus as well. I have not lost my drive with those stories, but I have hit writer's block with both and it's been really annoying trying to getting past them. FYI, this is the priority list at this time:**

 **This story**

 **The Jedi from Earth V2**

 **Justice League: The Keybearer**

 **I will finish these stories! I promise!**

 **So, as the old saying goes, please review, criticize, and all that good stuff, but ONE MORE THING: you can comment about the anime, but please refrain from spoiling the manga in the comment section. Some people DO only watch the anime. When I start spoiling the manga, I'll give you all a heads-up. If you guys have any questions regarding that, just PM me about them.**

 **Next chapter: A wild Shadis appears! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Sina Brat

 _"Keith Shadis! I'll never be able to forget that bald-headed, yellow-eyed, loud-mouthed bastard. He was one of the few people I have ever met that I respected_ and _despised. It came with the territory since he was a drill instructor. There were days I want to break his jaw so I wouldn't have to hear his damn voice yelling in my ear, but self-control was one of the many tests I had to pass. He might've been an asshole, but he was one of the key people in my life that shaped me into who I am today. I owe him that!"_

* * *

"Straighten those spines, piss-ants!" the drill instructor shouted. "The 104th Cadet Corps Boot Camp starts now! Allow me to introduce myself! I'm Commandant Keith Shadis and you _will_ grow to hate me! Training is gonna be a white-knuckle run through Hell! If I've done my job, you'll be waking up in a cold sweat from memories of this place every single night for the rest of your miserable lives! Right now, you're nothing! Livestock! But over the next three soul-crushing years, you'll learn to take down your own goliath! Remember this moment when you come face to face with him, cause here's where you ask yourself: am I a fighter, or am I feed!? Am I gonna be ground up to human, pulpy crisp between boulder-sized incisors, or am I gonna be the one to bite!?"

The cadets had to hand it to him; Shadis knew how to simultaneously make them terrified of their future and pumped up for it. Sadly, for them, it was time for the hazing.

"Hey, Mop Top!" Shadis exclaimed, looking directly at a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy that Dillon thought was a girl at first.

"Sir!" he replied, saluting.

"What do they call you, maggot?"

"Armin Arlert from Shiganshina, sir!" he answered.

"Seriously?" Shadis asked, wondering if he heard correctly. "Why would your parents curse you with that ridiculous name?"

"It was my grandfather, sir!"

The drill instructor leaned in, not granting the boy personal space. "Cadet Arlert, why is a runt like you here?"

Armin's voice started cracking, terrified, and even closed his eyes. "To help humanity defeat the Titans!"

"That is delightful to hear," Shadis replied, not at all delighted. "You're gonna be a great light snack for them!" Grabbing Armin by the head, he forcefully turned him around. "Row 3, about face, runt!"

He moved on to the next victim—uh, cadet, who had short blond hair and brown eyes. "What do you call yourself?"

"Sir, my name is Thomas Wagner! I'm from the Trost District!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"I'm from Trost, sir!" he repeated, louder. "I want to-!"

"Nobody here gives a damn! Next!" Shadis interrupted, quickly moving on to another cadet, this one being a black-haired, gray-eyed girl. "You!"

"Sir, Mina Carolina from Karanes," she quickly introduced.

"IS A PATHETIC WORM LIKE YOU THE BEST KARANES HAS TO OFFER!?" he roared.

Like Armin, she too closed her eyes in fear. "Sir, I'm afraid that's the case, sir!"

"Tell your district they can burn in Hell for sending you here!" the drill instructor ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Mina replied.

"You!"

 _Crap, he noticed me!_ Dillon realized as the yellow-eyed terror approached him.

"Who the hell are you!?" Shadis demanded.

Saluting, he responded, "Dillon Amsdale from Yarckel, sir!"

"Yarckel!? Step forward, Amsdale!"

He followed orders without hesitation, but he had a very bad feeling about this.

"Take a good look, maggots!" Shadis said, his voice becoming patronizing. "A Sina brat has decided to grace us with his presence today! You should all feel honored! Tell me, Sina Brat, how many times a day do you ask your servants to bend over and lick your shoes!?"

"I never had servants, sir!" Dillon assured, starting to really hate this guy.

He leaned into his face, spit flying out of his mouth. "Are you suggesting that I am wrong, pretty boy!?"

"Yes, sir!" _Well, he's gonna kill me now._

Shadis's glare made his soul want to flee his body. "Then bend over lick _my_ shoes, Sina Brat!"

"Yes, sir!"

Dillon got down on his knees and lowered his face to his shoe, hoping that all he would taste was dirt and whatever the shoe was made of. Instead, Shadis kicked his foot right into his face, sending him backwards. He landed on his back with blood pouring from his now-broken and bent-upwards nose, crying out in pain.

"Keep your filthy tongue away from me!" Shadis demanded. "On your feet!"

Slowly, Dillon did as he said, covering his bleeding nose with his hands in an attempt to stop said bleeding.

"Remove your hands, Sina Brat!"

Reluctantly, he uncovered his nose, presenting his first of what would be many injuries he would get while he was here. With the gentleness of a hammer to the face, Shadis gripped his nose and set it back straight. Dillon couldn't help but yell in response again, but at least that solved one problem with his nose. Now he just had to get it looked at by an actual doctor and he would be fine.

"Get back in line! Row 4, about face!"

Or he could continue bleeding and let the wound simmer. That worked too. At least he could still breathe.

Once Row 4 turned around, Shadis came face to face with a brown-haired male with equally brown eyes. "What do we have here!?"

"Jean Kirstein, sir, from the Trost District!" he responded, saluting.

"And why are you here, Cadet?"

Relaxing a bit, he answered, "To join the Military Police, sir, the best of the best!"

 _Considering how he reacted to me mentioning I was from Wall Sina, this will not end well._ Dillon noted, concerned for the guy's safety.

Naturally, Shadis took this in stride. "That's nice. You wanna live in the Interior, do you?"

"Yes!"

Instantly, Jean was head-butted by him, crumbling to the ground and holding his head.

"NO ONE TOLD YOU TO SIT, RECRUIT!" Shadis shouted. "IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THIS, KIRSTEIN, THEN FORGET ABOUT JOINING THE MILITARY POLICE!"

 _At least he didn't break_ your _nose._ Dillon thought to himself as he moved on.

"What the hell is wrong with your face, you smiling idiot!?" Shadis questioned a black-haired male with freckles.

"Marco Bodt, at your service, sir, from Jinae, south side of Wall Rose!" he replied in one breath. "I am to join the Military Police and give life and limb in service to the king!"

Shadis knew just how to respond to that statement, lowering the volume of his voice into a creepy whisper. "Well, then…that makes you an idealistic fool…and a rube. You want the truth?" Marco gulped uncomfortably as he leaned in with a deadly stare. "The only use the king has for your life and limbs are as Titan fodder!"

 _That is the saddest truth you could make, Shadis._ Dillon thought grimly.

With the cadet frozen in a state of shock, the drill instructor moved on to a bald-headed male that was one of the shortest people in the Corps. "Hey, Cue Ball, you're up next!"

"Uh, me!?" Quickly composing himself, he saluted…on the wrong side of his chest. "Sir, Connie Springer from Ragako Village, sir!"

Enraged, Shadis grabbed the boy by the head and lifted him off the ground, pressing his hands into his skull. "You have it backwards, Connie Springer! That was the first thing you were taught! This salute represents the resolve in your heart to fight those bent on the systematic destruction of our people! IS YOUR HEART ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE!?"

 _ **CRUNCH!**_

It was like the entire world just froze for two seconds. Standing nearby, as if nothing important was happening, was a girl with reddish brown hair eating a potato…in the middle of formation.

Completely flabbergasted, Shadis dropped Connie, who was on the verge of passing out. "Hey, you there. What do you think you're doing?"

The girl did not give any indication that she heard him, and took another bite out of the potato.

Shadis took it well. "YOU ARE OFFICIALLY ON MY SHIT LIST! JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

Mortified, the girl quickly swallowed her bite and saluted, potato still in hand. "Sasha Braus from Dauper Village at your service! Reporting for duty, sir!"

"Sasha Braus, huh?" he repeated, glaring down at her. "Then what is that you're clutching in your right hand?"

"A steamed potato!" she answered. "It sat there in the mess hall begging to be eaten, sir!"

For the first time today, the drill instructor seemed like he was trying to restrain himself. "The theft I understand, but here! Why eat it here of all places?"

Sasha wasn't taking the hint. "It looked quite delicious, and it was getting cold, so I gave it shelter in my stomach, sir."

His voice dropped so low that the other recruits had to strain their ears to hear him. "Why? I can't comprehend! Why would you eat that potato?"

Now she was confused. "Are you…asking me why people eat potatoes. I'm surprised you don't know, sir."

The temperature seemed to drop 50 degrees as the cadets stared at her in utter horror. Was she trying to get herself murdered on the first day? Surprisingly, Shadis didn't immediately rip her to shreds and just stood there, silent. Some of them wondered if he was contemplating how he was going to kill her and get away with it.

Sasha was getting uncomfortable by the sudden silence and tried to rectify things. She broke the potato in half, though one was bigger than the other, and held out the smaller half to him. "Here, sir. Have half."

Slowly, Shadis took the piece as if it was the nicest thing someone had ever done for him. "Have half? Really?"

The girl smiled as if she did such a great deed, and that was the last straw.

Roughly, Shadis grabbed her by collar, making her drop the rest of the potato in surprise. After tossing his half of it aside, he spoke in the deadliest whisper he could manage. "Listen to me carefully, you little bitch. The minute I drop you, you will start running around the base and you will not stop until you pass out." His voice started to escalate quickly. "For the next five days, your meal privileges will only consist of one meal, and if you ever eat in formation again…!" He picked up the big half of the potato and crushed it right in front of her eyes. "THAT WILL BE YOUR SKULL! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, MAGGOT!?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Sasha stuttered, properly terrified.

"GET MOVING!" he ordered, dropping her.

Once she was running as if Titans were coming after her, Shadis had one more loose end to tie up. "Sina Brat!"

"Yes, sir!" Dillon replied.

"Fall out to the infirmary!" he commanded.

"Thank you, sir!" _Oh, so he_ does _care about my well-being._

"THE REST OF YOU: ON THE GROUND!"

* * *

True to his word, Shadis put the recruits through rigorous training. 50 push-ups here, 50 crunches there, and jumping jacks that never seem to end. Anytime someone was too slow or collapsed, the gentle tones of the drill instructor were enough to get them back to exercising. Naturally, one of those exercises including running laps around the base ten times. Poor Sasha had to dodge the recruits when they caught up with her every single time. Halfway through, Dillon returned with a bandaged nose and ran the rest of the laps and exercises with them. He stumbled a bit due to his injuries, but he continued to press on. Surprisingly, he wasn't called out on it. A few hours later, the sun was finally setting. The cadets, exhausted and beat, were dismissed at last, but Shadis summoned Dillon to his office for a few words.

"What are the extent of your injuries?" he questioned, taking a seat.

At ease, but on guard, Dillon answered, "Minor fractures to the nose that is now swollen and constant bleeding for about 30 minutes." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the medical report. "They said, and I quote, 'the injuries could have stopped my breathing and made my situation worse. It was by happy chance that the worst did not happen,' sir!" He wasn't even trying to hide his displeasure with the man.

Shadis took notice of that immediately. "Amsdale, why do you think I broke your nose?"

"Permission to speak freely to the point my statements will not be held against me, sir?" Dillon requested.

"Granted."

"I think you are prejudiced against people that live in the Interior because you view them as cowards unwilling to fight, sir!" he responded, trying to hold back his anger, though his voice was clipped. "I think that my being here has disgusted you, and you wanted to vent your rage out unnecessarily on me, sir! If you can confirm any of these statements to be true, I will leave because I refuse to be broken down by a man who will use me as a punching bag, sir!"

Shadis, to his surprise, wasn't giving him an evil eye. In fact, he had a neutral look plastered on his face. "Cadet, are you aware of how you're speaking?"

Dillon couldn't help but smirk slightly. "My mother, Carolyn Amsdale, is a defense attorney, sir. It comes with the territory."

The drill instructor gestured to a chair. "Sit down, Amsdale." Once he did so, he proceeded to ask another question. "How many people from within Wall Sina do you think enlist in the Training Corps?"

"Very few," he guessed.

Shadis leaned in, putting his elbows on his desk. "This is the 104th, and in all the times before now, there have been only three from Wall Sina. You are the fourth recruit."

"What happened to them?" Dillon wondered, not surprised by the rarity of Sina cadets.

"Hell if I know, and I'm not curious enough to care." He threw him a look of warning. "Let me be clear about something, Amsdale. I am not obligated to explain my actions to anyone but my superiors! Are we clear on that?"

 _There's a "but" coming. I can feel it…wait, that sounded wrong._ "Yes, sir."

"That being said, you feel my actions toward you today were, as you said, 'prejudiced against you' because of where you are from. Consider this the only time I _will_ explain my actions to you."

Dillon was wise enough not to voice the thoughts inside his brain no matter how tempting it was. _That, and you don't want a defense attorney from Sina to come down here._

Finally, Shadis started to explain. "I don't give a damn where you come from. You could be the hungriest orphan in the streets, or the richest brat in the city. I am here to raise soldiers for humanity, Amsdale! Personal issues with the nobles and the politicians of the Walls have no place here. Your problem isn't going to be with me; it's going to be with your comrades. Now, do I need to spell out the rest for you, or are you gonna put that advanced education to use?"

Dillon's eyes widened as he began to figure it out. "You were gambling on the idea that being from Wall Sina meant nothing to me and that it should mean nothing to my comrades. The fact that I was willing to lick your shoes proves that."

"A skilled soldier not only has to be strong physically and mentally, but he needs the strength of his allies on his side," Shadis added, pleased that he was able to put two and two together. "Don't expect me to give the answers on how to do that with the other cadets. You need to figure that out on your own."

Dillon could feel himself relaxing a little, knowing this new information. "I'd expect nothing less, sir."

"On your feet, Amsdale!"

Quickly, he stood at attention, though he stumbled a bit from being a little woozy.

"At ease! Last thing I need is for you to shoot blood out of your nose. One more thing: I will push you as far as the other cadets, but I will also determine if your injuries will compromise you. When I say enough, you will stop. Do you understand?!"

"Understood, sir!" he answered. _I guess that's the closest thing to an apology I'll get._

"Get out of here, Amsdale!"

With a salute, Dillon exited the office, feeling a little better about his situation.

Once he was gone, Shadis brought out the file he had on him, looking at it carefully. _The son of a blacksmith and a defense attorney, and it shows. I have high hopes for you, Amsdale!_

* * *

The first stop Dillon wanted to make was to the mess hall. He was starving beyond belief. Hopefully, the other cadets didn't eat all the food before he got there. Once he located the building, he spotted the familiar faces of Connie, Marco, Mina, and Armin standing outside, relaxing from today's activities. The one person he didn't recognize was a green-eyed boy, who found the sunset very captivating.

"Well, looks who's here," Connie greeted with a grin. "The Sina Brat himself."

Dillon could tell he meant it in jest…he hoped, and said, "Just call me Dillon."

"I didn't expect for you to get hurt like that today," Mina mentioned, looking at his injury with concern.

He shrugged. "Well, he wanted to break me down and started with my nose. It was just bad luck for him I had to get it patched up before it got worse." He decided to introduce himself to the one person he didn't know, holding out his hand. "Dillon Amsdale. You?"

"Eren Yeager," he answered carefully, shaking his hand.

"So, what's it like living in the Interior?" Armin asked.

"Lots of noise," he replied. "I worked as a blacksmith in Yarckel with my dad. Noise was something I had to get used to very fast. If I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing, I got hurt."

"Sounds dangerous," Marco observed.

Dillon nodded. "It can be unless you know what you're doing at all times." He spotted Sasha continuing to run and changed the subject. "So, Potato Girl's still running?"

"I thought Shadis was going to kill her," Connie commented.

"I know," Eren added. "One hell of a first day." He chuckled. "It's funny. Being told to run until she passed out didn't seem to bother her nearly as much as being told her meals were being dropped to one per day for the next five."

Dillon snorted. "Maybe next time, she won't eat in formation."

"Hey, what's that?" Eren asked.

The group looked where he was pointing at and saw a horse dragging a cart of trainees away from the compound.

"They're dropouts," Mina explained sadly. "They prefer to work in the fields."

Marco was confused. "But…it's only the first day."

Dillon could understand why they left. "Not everyone can be a soldier. Shadis put us through one hell of a workout today."

Eren looked at the dropouts with disgust. "I can't believe anyone would rather pull plants than fight."

The blacksmith turned to him with an annoyed look. "Those 'plant pullers' help feed people, Eren. They may not be in the front lines, but they are doing a good service to humanity."

The green-eyed boy glared at him. "And I bet you've enjoyed a good meal in the Interior because of them, haven't you, Dillon?"

Like Shadis said, this was happening. Most of these trainees were orphans due to the Titans or some other tragedy. They've experienced homelessness, starvation, and wondering how they were going to make it to the next day. He, on the other hand, had a secure roof over his head, a job that paid well, delicious meals, and a family that loved him. He could sympathize with these kids, but unless he experienced half of what they did, he could never fully understand it. Whether he liked it or not, Dillon was going to be an outcast for a while until he changed the reputation that was already made for him.

That being said, Eren's statement was still stupid beyond belief. Fortunately, someone else called him out on it before he did.

"His point still stands, Eren," Mina pointed out. "Maybe they aren't killing Titans, but they are still going to be providing a valuable service."

Eren didn't look convinced, but to his credit, he chose not to say anything in response.

Marco decided to change the subject. "I know about some of us, but you never mentioned where you were from, Eren."

"The same as Armin," he answered, putting on hand on the blond boy's shoulder. "From Shiganshina."

Dillon's eyes widened in horror. "Shiganshina? That means-!"

"You were there that day," Connie finished, less shocked and more…excited.

"Quiet!" Marco warned, realizing what he was about to say.

Connie didn't heed his advice. "The Colossal One! Did you see him?"

Eren didn't look insulted by his lack of tact, but his voice grew darker as memories surfaced from that day. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

Before anyone could stop him, Connie ran inside the mess hall, dragging Eren along for the ride, and announced, "Hey, guys! This is Eren! He was in Shiganshina that day! He saw the Colossal Titan!"

Like vultures swooping in on a carcass, a crowd of cadets gathered around Eren, asking him over and over again if what Connie said was true, if he really was there when Wall Maria fell. At least they gave him space so he could get his food first.

Rolling his eyes at the display, Dillon quietly gathered some food before trying to find a place to sit. He noticed an empty spot next to that Jean guy from earlier (the bruise on his forehead was a dead giveaway), and asked, "Mind if I sit here?"

"Go ahead," he answered, making a little room for him.

"Jean, right?"

He nodded in confirmation, shaking his hand. "And you're Dillon. Good to meet you. How's your nose?"

Instinctively, Dillon brushed his fingers against it, still sensitive to the touch. "Still swollen and a little fractured, but it'll heal. Shadis really had it out for me today."

"I guess I should be thankful I only got bruised," Jean commented, indicating his own present from their drill instructor.

Dillon raised his mug of water. "Here's to our first of many battle wounds."

Chuckling, Jean toasted him, downing whatever was left in the mug. "So, you said you're from Yarckel, huh?"

"Uh-huh," he confirmed, knowing what was on his mind. "Don't bother asking me if I have connections to the Military Police, Jean. My family and the Police are not on good terms."

That piqued his interest. "What happened?"

"My mother is the reason several corrupt officers are rotting in jail," he explained, eating some of the soup he got. "Corrupt or not, they see each other as brothers and sisters, and they kind of want us dead for it."

Jean whistled in awe. "Geez, man."

Dillon would've gone on, but a recent celebrity's voice caught his attention.

"Yeah, okay? I saw the big guy!" Eren confirmed, sounding exasperated.

"Whoa, seriously?" Thomas asked as if he hadn't said it the first two times.

One guy, Samuel, wanted details. "Okay, exactly how tall was he?"

"He stuck his head over the outer wall," he explained.

The comments started flying.

"Whoa, wait! I heard he stepped over the wall completely!"

"So did I."

"That was the rumor in my village too."

 _If that happened, we'd be dead._ Dillon thought to himself.

"He was big, but not that big," Eren corrected.

"So what did it look like?" Mina dared to ask.

"It had a mouth like a corpse," he described. "And no skin. Just muscles."

"And the Armored Titan?" another cadet questioned. "The one that broke through Wall Maria?"

Eren didn't seem impressed. "Is that what they're calling it? In all the panic, it was just another Titan to me."

Samuel was flabbergasted like everyone else. "No way. So, what were they like?"

Eren stopped eating, gasping as the memories of that horrible day hit him. Dropping, his spoon, he put his hand over his mouth, sounding like he was about to vomit. Dillon looked around for a bucket, or something like that in case the poor kid needed to let it out.

Marco finally had the decency to put an end to it. "Come on! That's enough questions, all right? I'm sure he'd rather not relive everything he went through."

 _A voice of reason at last._ Dillon thought, relieved.

"We're sorry," Connie apologized, feeling ashamed for putting Eren through all that just to satisfy his own curiosity. "We didn't mean to-."

"It's not like that," Eren assured, composing himself and taking a bite of bread. "Those stupid Titans. They're really not that big a deal."

 _Congratulations, Eren._ Dillon thought, clenching his fists. _Not only did you just spit in the face of everyone who's been killed by those monsters, but you also just made number 2 on the "people I_ really _don't like" list._

Eren wasn't done. "If we focus on mastering the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear they give us, then it's Titan payback time. I've waited years to be trained as a soldier. All of a sudden, the reality's sinking in. I'm joining the Scout Regiment; then I'll send the Titans back to Hell. I'm gonna butcher them all."

Eren's demeanor had completely changed from a monotone voice to a bit unhinged. Dillon couldn't blame him, given all the hell he went through that day, but it was a little unnerving.

"Hey, are you crazy or something?"

All eyes faced Jean, who was smirking due to Eren's tirade. "Not that it's my business, but signing up for Reconnaissance is like a death sentence."

Eren eyed him carefully. "I guess we'll see. Or, at least, _I_ will. You seem content hiding in the Interior with the MPs."

Dillon couldn't help but respond to that. "And you seem content to insult anybody who chooses to be an MP."

The green-eyed boy scoffed at him. "Being part of the Military Police is a nice way of saying, 'you get a chance to hide and be safe while everyone else gets to die.'"

"Not everyone has the guts to throw their lives into certain-death territory," he reminded him, getting really sick of his attitude. "You have to deal with the fact that some people just want to survive."

"The only way we survive is if we beat the Titans!" Eren exclaimed angrily. "Why can't you people see it?" He glared at him. "Then again, why should I expect someone from the Interior to understand what we've been through?"

He sighed, standing up. Quickly, Eren got to his feet, prepared to fight if he needed to despite Dillon having a couple of inches above him. A hush fell over the mess hall, the cadets watching the scene unfold. Out of the corner of his eye, the blacksmith noticed a black-haired Asian girl giving him a look that said, "touch him and I will kill you."

Dillon, however, refused to stoop that low and asked a simple question. "Eren, why do you think I'm here?"

That question caught him off-guard. "Uh…"

"Let me elaborate. I had a home in the Yarckel District. I had a roof over head, a loving family, warm meals, you name it, I probably had it. So why would I leave a life of luxury and choose to suffer for the next three years?"

Before Eren could attempt to answer, the bell rang, signaling the time for them all to disperse to their barracks.

"You've got three years to come up with an answer," Dillon said, "but I think you're smart enough to figure it out sooner."

Finishing up his food, the blacksmith made his way to the barracks. He was more tired than he thought and wanted nothing more than to get some sleep. It was going to be a long three years.

* * *

 **AN: Dillon essentially mirrors my own thoughts about Eren Yeager. I honestly think he's one of the most unstable people in the anime and a jerk to anyone who doesn't want to be a soldier…unless it's Armin or Mikasa. This will not be the last time the two clash, though Mikasa is watching. Always watching.**

…

 **Quick! Someone dub over Mikasa's lines with that character from Monsters, Inc.**

 **Also, yes, I am using the English dub script for the most part, including the Titan roars.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this next chapter. Review, like, and subscribe.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Yes, I am aware of the manga update, and I'm excited and horrified for obvious reasons. Remember, keep quiet in the comments. Also, in case someone was actually curious enough, I don't own Attack on Titan. There, I said it.**

* * *

Chapter 3: The Girl with Cold Eyes

(The next day)

When Dillon awoke the next morning, he was faced with two things he didn't see coming. The first were group showers. Privacy was going to be a thing of the past every time he stepped in there naked with everyone else. At first, he was more than a little uncomfortable, but he just decided to deal with it. That being said, comments about his size or anyone else's could die and it would be a blessing. Good thing these weren't coed showers.

The other thing was the surprise, at least for him, 3DM gear test after breakfast. His commanding officer left that part out when they spoke the day before. Apparently, part 1 to getting into the Training Academy was dealing with Shadis for the first day. Part 2 was seeing if the cadets could handle using stationary gear at a moment's notice. This was the crucial moment, as Shadis eloquently put it.

"It's aptitude test time, so listen up! There is no place for you here if you cannot perform! Fail, and you'll be shipped to the fields!"

Judging by the look on half the cadets' faces, it was clear they were extremely nervous. They weren't the only ones. Dillon may have helped craft the swords they use for the 3DM gear, but he never used the gear in his life. There was no reason to…until now.

 _You know, in retrospect, maybe I should've trained myself to use equipment to fight Titans_ before _entering a military academy training people to fight Titans._

Since there were only four harnesses to practice on, everyone divided themselves into five random groups. Dillon decided to wait it out and watch others do it to get an idea of how to do it himself. Hopefully, Shadis would not force him up there before he was ready. Until then, he wouldn't be idle. Now was the time to learn about his comrades.

He realized he was standing next to the two tallest people in the Cadet Corps. One of them was short-haired blond with gold eyes and the other guy had slightly longer black hair and brown eyes who had a couple of inches on the first guy. Time to start earning some respect.

"Um, hi," Dillon greeted a little nervously. "I'm Dillon Amsdale. I don't think we've met."

Blondie looked at him and held out his hand. "Reiner Braun. This is Bertholdt Hoover."

He shook both of their hands, noticing how strong their grips were. "Nice to meet you."

"So, you're the guy from Sina," Bertholdt said.

Dillon chose not to comment on how the tallest guy in the Training Corps had a bit of a timid voice because he was smarter than that, and decided to answer his question. "Born in raised in Yarckel. I actually helped my dad make weapons."

Reiner raised in eyebrow in surprise before smirking. "You're a blacksmith, huh? Not bad, kid. That explains why you had a firmer grip than most people I've shaken hands with."

"Uh…thanks, I guess," he replied. "So, where are you guys from?"

"SINA BRAT!"

Dillon hung his head in resignation. _Here we go._

Sure enough, he felt a strong hand jerk him to the left where the wonderful face of Shadis was waiting for him. "Does this look like a recreational area to you!? Is this test boring you!?"

"No, sir!" he answered, his voice jumping an octave.

"Get up on that rig, maggot!"

 _Screw you, Shadis!_ "Yes, sir!"

With a salute, Dillon sped-walked to the harness as another instructor strapped him in. The belts were as tight as they could be around his waist and legs to ensure security. That was a sensation he'd have to get used to. As least he didn't have to go soaring through trees just yet.

"Lift!" Shadis ordered.

As the harness began to rise, Dillon took several deep breaths to remain calm. Panicking would earn him a meeting with the ground and a sentence to the fields. That being said, how the hell was he supposed to work this thing?

 _I had to have read about 3DM gear at one point._ He thought to himself as he felt himself slowly being raised. _I need to find it._

His eyes flashed before his feet left the ground.

* * *

 _He was standing in a corridor surrounded by sections of boxes. Each section had signs helpfully labeling what he was looking for. The sections with the most boxes covered things like "Family" and "Training with Dad," but one that he could hear was getting bigger was the "Military" section. Quickly, he ran over to the area, checking every single label for the one called "Glossed Over." It wouldn't have all the information, but it should have words that popped out to him that he saw in a book somewhere._

 _After a few minutes, he found it, ripping the box open. Best thing about the mind was that it could clean up his messes. Inside were very few folders that were blank, so he checked them all. On the second one, he found what he was looking for: one word. Balance! It didn't say how to achieve it. Just…balance!_

 _His relieved grin faded when he felt the world slowly start tilting. He was falling in the real world._

 _"Oh, crap!" he swore, quickly getting out of this place._

* * *

When he came to, Dillon's eyes widened as he realized in one second, he would hit the ground. With a grunt, he righted himself back up. It took a little wobbling, but he managed to stay up the air as calm as he could be. Slowly, he moved his arms, transferring weight to other parts of his body to acclimate to the changes. If he was going to be swinging swords, now was a good time to experiment.

"Congratulations, Amsdale!" Shadis exclaimed. "It seems you are capable!"

"Thank you, sir!" Dillon replied, happy that he passed.

After about ten more seconds, the harness lowered back to the ground. Once the belts were undone, Dillon shook off the soreness he felt. It was constricting, but necessary.

As Bertholdt went up next and Shadis went off to yell at someone else, Reiner clasped his shoulder. "Nice recovery, Dillon! Thought you were gonna crash for a second."

"Same here," he agreed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Good to know that this 'Sina Brat' is capable of being a soldier."

"I don't care where you're from, and no one else should, either," he said seriously. "Status means nothing in this place."

Dillon shook his hand gratefully. "Appreciate it, Reiner. I look forward to getting to know you."

"Likewise," Reiner responded.

 _Well, that takes care of two people that could obliterate me in a fight. Now for everyone else._

Curiously, they watched to see how the others were doing. Jean was a little wobbly, like he was earlier, but he managed to stay up. Sasha looked like she pulled a muscle, and yet she still remained upright. And then there was Mikasa, the black-haired Asian girl that looked like she was planning to kill Dillon last night. It wasn't the fact that she was doing the test perfectly, no wobbling or anything that could resemble a mistake, but her face was completely emotionless. Hell, she looked bored. If he didn't see her get angry at him last night, Dillon would think she was incapable of feeling anything.

"Got your eyes on a girl already?" Reiner teased, noticing how long he was staring at her.

"Not for the reasons you'd think," Dillon answered.

There was a yelp, catching his attention to the last harness. Poor Eren was hanging upside down with his eyes widened in horror. To make matters worse, he was getting laughed at by his peers. What were they, in grade school or something?

Shadis, as usual, wasn't helping matters. "WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION, YEAGAR!? STRAIGHTEN YOURSELF UP!"

Dillon sighed at the spectacle. As much as he disliked Eren, he didn't want to see him suffer, so he turned around.

* * *

(Later that day)

 _Combat training. Finally!_

This was something Dillon had been looking forward to since day one…which was yesterday. It would give him a chance to challenge cadets and be challenged. Rule number 1 to life: no one stops learning until they are dead. Shadis was briefly going over the rules to the sparring, but the only parts Dillon listened to was "no permanent damage" and "two people: one armed, and one not."

Once the drill instructor finished his speech, the recruits quickly split off into pairs. Unfortunately, it seemed everyone quickly found a partner save for himself. He wandered around the area, looking for someone that was either going to finish soon, or that someone else was having as much luck finding a partner as he did.

Fortunately, the answer came in the form of a short, blond haired girl. She, too, was wandering around the area, seemingly disinterested in the exercise. Dillon figured she was only like that because she couldn't find a sparring partner either. _Time to fix that before Shadis breaks something else in my body._

"Excuse me," he greeted.

The moment the girl turned to face him, he noticed a very striking feature about her: her eyes. They were a combination of silver and blue, for one thing, but he also noticed how cold they looked. When he looked at someone's eyes, he always saw some form of emotion, like happiness, anger, or sadness, to name a few. Hers, on the other hand, were indifferent, and for some reason, that made him a little nervous.

"What do you want?" she questioned as if she had something better to do.

 _Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine?_ "I don't have a sparring partner. Mind being one for a bit?"

"If I must," she answered in a monotone, leading him towards an empty spot in the training field.

 _Cold eyes, cold tone, and cold personality. Good to know she's consistent._ "I'm Dillon Amsdale, by the way."

"I know who you are," she pointed out, not caring. "Do you want the knife or not?"

"I'll take it," he replied, a little put off by her demeanor. "Got a name?"

Once they reached a spot that wasn't taken, she turned to face him with an annoyed look. "Yes."

There was an awkward pause between them. "And are you going to tell me?"

"No."

Dillon smirked, getting an idea. "Well, in that case, I'm gonna call you Cold Eyes…or would you prefer Samantha Short Stuff?"

It was here he figured out why her eyes made him nervous. It was so easy for them to shift from cold indifference to deadly. The glare she gave him was the second-scariest glare he had ever seen. Shadis was number 1, naturally. What really added to the creepiness factor was how she was the same age as him and she was able to pull that stare off. Something told him pissing her off was _not_ going to help him in this fight.

Hiding his anxiety, Dillon held the wooden knife in a left-handed reverse grip while Cold Eyes got into a fighting stance, both fists raised. She had combat training, that he could see, but so did he.

He made his first move, slashing at Cold Eyes twice. She quickly backed away until he attempted a third slash. She somersaulted under the blade _(Curse small people)_ and grabbed the knife arm, slamming her elbow right into it in an attempt to get him to drop the knife. His grip held, but that was incredibly painful. He quickly hit her in the face with his other elbow before launching a kick that sent her crashing to the ground. Without losing a beat, he placed his knee into her stomach to keep her pinned and attempted to stab down only for her leg to shoot up and hit him in the side of the head. The force was enough to send him off of her, giving her time to get back up.

Once Dillon was on his feet, too, he came at her again. He spun left with a slashing attack and brought his leg up to hit her in the face. Cold Eyes barely ducked and slammed her foot into his other leg, causing him to kneel. Before he could retaliate, he was kneed in the face, sending him to the ground. She charged towards him, stomping down on his wrist. Now, the knife finally left his hand. She grabbed the knife, but Dillon quickly tackled her down, one hand one her throat and the other pinning down the knife arm. Another kick to the side of his head knocked him off, but this time, Cold Eyes was on him, stabbing the knife right into his heart…at least, that's what would have happened if the knife was real.

Panting heavily, Dillon chuckled. "You're really good, Cold Eyes."

"Annie," she corrected, wiping the sweat off her bloodied face. "My name is Annie Leonhart."

"Dillon Amsdale," he introduced again. "It's nice to know my killer's name as I die here."

She rolled her eyes at him and said in a deadpan voice, "You're hilarious."

When Dillon felt her breath on his face, he blushed at how close she was. "So, uh, any chance you could get off me? I'd like to get up now."

Realizing that she was still invading his personal space, Annie practically flung herself off of him, causing the cadets nearby to chuckle. Wait, what?

Once the two were on their feet, they realized their intense sparring drew a crowd. The majority of them were awestruck at how fast and brutal the two were to each other. At this point, Dillon realized the two of them suffered a lot of facial wounds, though his nose somehow remained intact this time, and their uniforms were scrapped up with some scabs and bruises on their skin. At least they had spare uniforms in their closets.

"All right, everyone!" Dillon suddenly announced. "Show's over! Go on your merry way!"

Slowly, the crowd dispersed, but there were several compliments to both of them on how well they fought. Some were disappointed that Dillon lost, but others weren't. Such was the way of life.

"So," he started once they were gone, "you've had quite a bit of training."

Annie nodded, having an impressed look on her face this time. "So have you. Not many people I've gone up against could hold their own like that. Who taught you?"

"My dad," Dillon answered, wiping off the blood from some of his wounds. "He wanted me to make sure that I was taught to disable or kill someone quickly. You were quicker."

"My father also taught me how to fight," she said before explaining why he lost. "Tackling me when I had the knife was your downfall."

He sighed, disappointed in himself. "Yeah, that was a stupid move. It was a desperate move that failed. Note to self: save the tackling when both sides are unarmed."

Annie tossed the knife back to him. "You have potential. I expect I rematch someday."

Dillon smirked, catching it in the wrist she stomped on. "Trust me. Ow! You'll get it."

"I didn't fracture your wrist if you're concerned about that," she assured. "I suggest you get yourself patched up in the infirmary."

"You should do the same," he advised. _If this keeps up, I'm going to get to know every single doctor's name._

Annie shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. I'll see you around, Amsdale."

"See ya, Leonhart."

The two went their separate ways, unaware Shadis was watching them the whole time, writing things down on his clipboard.

* * *

That night, after grabbing a bite to eat from the mess hall, Dillon was on his bed in the barracks, staring at the ceiling. The injuries, though patched up, were keeping himself awake as well as thinking about the fight. Annie took him by surprise and he paid for it. Next time, he would beat her, and if not, he'd try again. He never liked losing, though he tried to be a good sport about it when it happened, and it happened a lot with his dad. In fact, he was the first one to teach him that fighting is just two people making mistakes while trying to beat each other. It all depends on what mistakes are their downfall. Did he underestimate her? Probably, but never again.

His thoughts were interrupted by the barracks' door opening. Coming in was Jean and Connie, both wearing grins.

"There you are," Connie said. "We didn't see you in the mess hall."

"I ate early," he explained. "I wanted to heal up from today's sparring session."

"That was the quite the performance you put on," Jean pointed out, leaning against the side of his own bunk. "It looked like the two of you were fighting to the death."

Dillon sat up, groaning a little bit from being sore. "That was the idea. In a real fight, no one is gonna hold back unless they are so good, they decide to toy with you. Why should I spar any differently?" He looked at both of them. "I can tell you two want something from me."

"We thought it would be neat if you could teach us a few things," Connie stated, eyes full of hope.

"That, and I wanted to know more about the Interior," Jean added. "It'll be nice to have a leg up three years from now."

Dillon shrugged. "Sure, why not? Haven't taught anyone before. Give me time to come up with a few lesson plans and we'll get started." He turned to Jean. "So, what-?"

The door slammed open, revealing Eren, who seemed to be at the end of his rope, and Armin, who was chasing after him in an effort to calm him down. Dillon raised an eyebrow at the fact there was a bandage wrapped around Eren's head, but he decided not to question it.

"Please, you need to tell me how you did it!" he begged. "How did you stay upright!? What's your secret!?" If Eren was desperate enough to ask Jean for advice on how to use the 3DM, he was literally losing hope.

"Eren, calm down!" Armin urged before explaining the situation to the three. "Eren's been trying to work the 3DM gear, but all he's got to show for it is a head injury. He needs help."

Connie and Jean and exchanged glances and snide smiles appeared on their faces. Dillon decided to wait it out until it was time for him to intervene.

"What's the trick to posture control?" Connie asked in a patronizing tone. "Hard to say. Guess I've got the gift. You've just got to feel it, you know."

Jean didn't help matters. "I'm trying to figure out your trick. You've screwed up every way imaginable, short of an accidental, equipment-related asphyxiation."

Eren continued to plead his heart out. "Please, guys! You gotta help me. I'm begging you!"

Connie's smirk widened. "That's funny. Wasn't it just yesterday you said, 'If you can't handle the pressure, you gotta leave?' No, wait. Was it 'if you're a complete idiot, you gotta leave?' Something like that."

"I think you two fit the last one pretty well!" Dillon stated, getting off his bed while glaring at them. "He asks for help and you mock him for it, when less than a minute ago, you wanted my help with fighting! Hypocritical much? Eren, Armin, follow me."

Surprised, the two followed Dillon outside and shut the door.

"Before I answer your question, have you given any thought to mine?" he asked. '"Why do you think I'm here?"'

Eren sighed. "I think you're here because you want to make a difference like I do."

Dillon nodded, satisfied. "Now that we've established that as fact and you've had time to simmer down, truce?" He held out his hand.

Hesitantly, the green-eyed boy shook it. "Truce."

"All right. Here comes the bad news: the advice I'm about to give you is advice you've probably heard today. You need to have balance." Seeing his expression look downcast confirmed his suspicions. "You _did_ hear it today. Okay, how about advice I have trouble following myself? Hope for the best, prepare for the worst!"

A look of determination filled Eren's face. "I'm not giving up!"

"Good," Dillon congratulated. "I don't expect you to, but you need to be prepared for a scenario you don't want. I know you don't want to be shipped to the fields, and I don't expect you to be happy about it if it happens, but…sometimes there are battles you can't win."

He quickly realized who he just said that to as he received a deadly glare from him. "I'm not going to lose, Dillon. I'm going to master the 3DM gear! Just you wait!"

"Eren, he's not our enemy!" Armin pointed out firmly before facing him. "Thanks."

"Get some rest," he advised. "You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

Dillon entered the barracks and closed the door when he realized the two weren't coming in. Now there was just one more problem to deal with.

"I'll let you two know when I'm ready to teach you," he said to Connie and Jean. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to sleep."

Satisfied, the two went to their own beds as he clambered into his own. He was going to be feeling it tomorrow.

* * *

(The next morning)

 _Work through the pain._ He coached himself as getting food felt like a hassle. Last time he felt like this was last month when his dad put him through a final training session. At least he didn't have to use the 3DM gear today.

"Hey, are you okay?" a small voice asked.

Dillon turned around and saw a girl that proved that heaven was indeed missing an angel. Her blue eyes were the most beautiful he had ever seen and her blonde hair was short enough to accentuate that fact. Speaking of short, though, she happened to be the shortest cadet he'd seen, her height only coming up to his neck, but he had no problem with it.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he answered, "Um, yeah. I was just trying to get over my injuries. Still a bit sore from yesterday." _More like a_ lot _sore!_ "Dillon Amsdale."

"Krista Lenz," she introduced with a smile. "I hope you have a speedy recovery."

"You, too." He paused for a second, catching himself. "I mean, in the event you go through what I went through, I was just, uh-" When he noticed Krista chuckle, he gave up. "—never mind."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, containing herself.

Dillon let out a chuckle too. "Don't be. It was kind of funny."

"Hey, wise guy, are you hitting on my Krista?" an angry female voice questioned.

He looked to see another girl with long black hair, some of it tied up in a ponytail, glaring at him with golden eyes. In terms of death glares, hers ranked very low on his list. This had to be the jealous, possessive girlfriend.

"No, I wasn't," Dillon responded coolly. "She was trying to see if I was okay after yesterday's match."

"It's true," Krista confirmed, showing signs of being annoyed. "Don't mean to him, Ymir. He hasn't done anything wrong."

Ymir shrugged, but gave one final warning. "I've watching you, Amsdale."

Dillon smirked. This was too easy. "Go ahead, Ymir. I hope you like what you see."

With a wink, he walked away as her eyes narrowed. Sometimes making new enemies was fun. His parents would be proud and exasperated.

He decided not to sit next to Jean this time, still annoyed with him over last night's antics, and instead found himself sitting at the same table as Annie, who was sitting alone. He noticed she still had injuries from yesterday, though they seemed to be healing faster than his were.

"Sleep well?" he asked, munching on a piece of bread.

"As well as I could," she answered without looking at him. "What do you want?"

"Can't a guy exchange small-talk with someone every once in a while?" Dillon questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Annie stopped drinking her water and faced him. "You want something from me. Spit it out!"

 _Sheesh, do you need a doctor to get that stick out of your ass?_ "All right, Cold Eyes! I have decided to put myself in your presence in order to execute an exchange of dialogue in an effort to trade intel."

Annie gave him a blank look, unamused. "You're not funny."

Dillon chuckled. "No need to treat me like a thorn in your side, Annie. I'm just interested in getting to know the girl that kicked my ass yesterday."

She sighed with annoyance. "There's nothing to talk about. I'm just one of the lucky refugees that fled Wall Maria."

His smile vanished at that statement. "I'm sorry that happened."

Annie scoffed. "Don't be. You had no hand in what happened that day. Why bother feeling guilty for something that wasn't your fault?"

Dillon's eyebrows raised. "I get the feeling there was a double meaning to that."

"You're perceptive. I'll give you that." She snatched his piece of bread before he could finish it. "Two nights ago, when Eren brought up that you were from the Interior, I could see the shame in your eyes. You're ashamed to have been raised in a secure and wonderful home, while many of us refugees had to suffer ours getting destroyed by the Titans. I'll give you this one for free: save yourself the misery and stop feeling ashamed of your upbringing. You're a damn good fighter and a penchant for learning things quickly. You start feeling ashamed of your accomplishments, then you will become the loser you think you are."

Out of all the things he expected to come out of her mouth, that wasn't one of them. Still, Annie was right. He had to stop feeling guilty for things out of his control and ashamed for being raised in Wall Sina. He had nothing to feel sorry about.

He smiled gratefully. "Thanks for the advice, Annie."

"I want you at your best when we fight again, Dillon," she explained. "I can't stand fighting people that mope."

Dillon couldn't help but laugh at that statement.

Now, Annie was confused. "What?"

"That word," he answered. '"Mope.' It's a funny word."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "It's not that funny."

 _Challenge accepted._ "Oh, really? See it from my point of view." Clearing his throat, he did his best "Annie" impression. '"Hey, everyone. My name is Annie Leonhart. This is my friend, Dillon. He likes to mope."'

Annie's mouth started to twitch upwards. "It's…still not funny."

Dillon grinned, going in for the kill. "Annie, will you mope with me? Will you be my moping buddy?"

Never in his entire life did he ever see someone try so hard not to laugh. She covered her mouth to hide the smile and there were weird noises coming from her nose, though it wasn't loud enough to try attention. Despite her efforts, he heard her giggling. The girl that nearly gave him a concussion yesterday was giggling. His work here was done.

After about five seconds of that, she looked up at Dillon and saw him with an impish smile. She removed her hand, revealing the grin she was hiding.

"I really hate you right now," Annie stated, trying to rein it in.

"Completely worth it," he replied.

Before she could fire a retort, the bell started to ring, signaling the time to meet Shadis at the 3DM training area.

"Let's go see if Eren can pull it off this time," Dillon said.

* * *

(3DM Training Place)

"Eren Yeager!" Shadis said once Eren was strapped in. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir!" he answered.

There were a lot of cadets today that hoped Eren would be able to pull this off, Mikasa and Armin being the biggest supporters. Dillon was among them, wanting his determination to pay off. Dreams being crushed were never good to watch.

"Proceed!" Shadis commanded.

Thomas nodded, turning the lever.

Slowly, the harness started to rise into the air as everyone waited with bated breath to see what would happen. Eren's determined look intensified the moment his feet left the ground. With a loud grunt, he kept himself upright for the first time. The cadets cheered loudly for him, thrilled that he accomplished what he wanted.

Unfortunately, that joy only lasted a few seconds. With a surprised yell, Eren toppled to the ground, upside down yet again. No one laughed this time around. Not even Jean was smirking at his failure.

The minute Shadis started towards him, Eren started panicking and begging. "No! Not yet! Once more! I can do it!"

"Lower him," he instructed, disappointment in his voice.

The minute he was on the ground, Eren fell to his knees in agony. There were even tears in his eyes. "I—I'm finished."

"Wagner, please exchange belts with Mr. Yeager."

Two things went through everyone's minds: "wait, what?" and "did Shadis say please?"

"Uh, yes, sir," Thomas replied, confused.

Once the belts were exchanged, the old one given to the drill instructor, Eren was lifted into the air again. This time, it was the complete opposite outcome. The green-eyed nut was achieving balance as if it came easy to him. It was so different that he almost toppled because of how easier it was.

"Your equipment was defective," Shadis explained, holding the now-apparent broken belt. "If given a piece of functional gear, you might not be worthless after all. Quartermaster didn't notice this broken clasp. Might have to visit the supply depo and crack a couple skulls."

Murmurs broke through the crowd. For broken equipment, Eren actually pulled it off for a little while. All Dillon could think about was how much he pitied the supply depo that would face Shadis's wrath soon.

"So you mean I... I didn't wash out?" Eren dared to hope.

"You made the cut," he confirmed. "Now keep training, Cadet!"

A huge grin broke out on Eren's face, the happiest anyone had ever seen him. He was going to be what he always wanted to be: a soldier! _Well done, Eren._

* * *

 **AN: Well, that was a tough chapter to write. In fact, the Training Corps section is going to be a hard section for me because only TWO episodes are actually focused on it plus a couple of OVAs. I hope I didn't make Annie out of character. The "mope" thing literally came out of nowhere when I realized how funny that word sounded. I don't think even the stoic Annie could not crack a smile at that.**

 **I wanted to make Dillon's style of fighting more akin to Silat. It was the only fighting style I could think of that I could attempt to write well. Speaking of which, that fight scene was the hardest one I ever wrote…mostly because we never get to see Annie fight outside of (spoilers spoilers). Here's hoping the animation team will make Annie's story from Lost Girls an OVA so we can actually see her fight.**

 **Also, shout-out to Notorious D for giving me a hand with the altered summary and for checking my writing with Annie and Dillon's interactions. Go check out his story "The Mother Titan" for an interesting take on a Titan Shifter story.**

 **And lastly, please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Okay, so that previous manga spoiler was just a rumor. The real one, however, I have this to say: Thanks a lot, Isayama.**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Fool With Hope

 _"848. Now_ that _was a very interesting year for me."_

* * *

"Nice legwork, Jean!" Dillon complemented as he barely managed to dodge a spinning kick aimed at his head.

Jean smirked, launching a series of quick punches that were blocked until one collided with his jaw. Dillon staggered back, massaging his sore jaw.

"That hurt!" he exclaimed with a grin. "Someone's been practicing."

Training Jean and Connie was a joy he didn't see coming. He could understand why his dad had so much fun teaching him how to fight. Seeing his "students" improve over the course of time was very satisfying to witness. That, and knocking them down all the pegs in case they got overconfident after landing a lucky hit.

Jean's go-to fighting style was using his legs a lot unsurprisingly. While Dillon agreed that was a serious advantage to that, but he also reminded him that he needed to work just as hard, if not harder, with hand-to-hand. If someone was proficient in both, he needed to be prepared to counter that with his own skills. Connie was a little tougher to teach. As much as he hated to admit it, the fact he was smaller than most of the recruits was an issue. However, Dillon managed to rectify that by teaching him how to grapple, something even _he_ needed to improve on. If Connie could bring his opponent down, he would have the advantage. It also helped that Connie was fast and could jump high enough to perform grapples around a person's neck.

Needless to say, the two were making progress.

"I think we can stop here," Dillon said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Afraid I might take you down this time?" Jean taunted.

He gave him a blank look. "Just remember, Kirstein, I've been going easy on you. Need another reminder?"

As expected, the tall boy quickly backed off. "No, thanks. I still have those bruises from last time."

Dillon nodded, satisfied with his answer. "As much as I would like to continue training with you, Shadis has been…encouraging me to stop spending so much time on you and Connie and go find some new opponents."

That logic was sound. Dillon sometimes forgot that he was learning the tools of the trade like everyone else. As a wake-up call, he was pitted against Bertholdt, and got his butt handed to him on a silver platter. Sure, he managed to hit him a few times, but Bertholdt was practically a master at hand-to-hand combat. Even teachers got schooled once in a while.

"I'm gonna go do some knife work with Marco," Jean stated. "I need the practice."

Seeing Shadis heading their way, the two split off, heading off to find other opponents.

 _Let's see._ Dillon thought to himself. _I've sparred with Jean, Connie, Annie, Bertholdt, Krista, Marco, Thomas, and Ymir. Maybe I'll finally take on Eren…and risk facing Mikasa's wrath. I'm not feeling suicidal today._

Then, it hit him. There was one person in desperate need of some fighting tips.

"Hey, Armin!" he called out.

The blond-haired boy turned to face him. "Yeah?"

"Let's go spar."

As expected, Armin looked like he was about to bolt, and his stuttering showed it. "Well, I, uh, don't think that's a good idea. I mean, I'm not a challenge to you."

Armin had the problem of having the lowest self-esteem in the entire corps. He viewed himself as weak and a coward, and that mindset was affecting him negatively. He needed a push in the right direction if he was going to succeed at…anything.

Dillon sighed. "Armin, I'm not looking for an opponent to compete against. I want to help you get better."

Reluctantly, he gave in. "All right. Do you want the knife?"

"Yes." Once he had it, he tossed it aside.

Armin stared at him with wide eyes. "What are you-?"

"We're going to work on building your confidence first," Dillon explained, holding out his hands. "Let's keep it simple. I want you to punch my hands as hard as you can."

Gulping, Armin launched a jab with his right fist and impacted his left hand. It was pitifully done.

"Let's try it this way," he suggested. "Aim your right for my right, and your left for my left. Jabs aren't bad, but we'll get to those another time."

"Uh, okay," he replied, doing what he said.

As he thought, the punches, though still weak, had more effort thrown into them.

"Keep up that pattern until I stop you!" Dillon stated, deciding to try another tactic. "So, Armin, you say you come from Shiganshina like Eren and Mikasa?"

"Uh-huh," Armin answered, his punches getting a little harder.

 _I hope this works._ "Did you have any family?"

"I was raised by my grandfather after my parents died. He looked out for me, and even gave me books talking about the outside world. That's what got me and Eren interested in wanting to see the world outside the Walls."

"Really?" Dillon asked, interested. "Your grandfather seems like a cool person, being able to give you something to think about. I bet he's proud of you for enlisting."

"I hope so," he said. "Then again, I'll never know."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dillon responded sincerely.

Armin's eyes darkened a little bit. "You know what the funny thing was? We both escaped the Titans when they broke Wall Maria, but you know what ended up killing him? When the government decided he wasn't worth feeding anymore and sent him to die along with nearly 250,000 refugees! They wanted to survive and instead of people from Wall Rose and Wall Sina making the sacrifice, they forced it on them!"

Suddenly, one of Armin's punches hit Dillon right in the face. The impact took the blond boy by surprise as the teen massaged his cheek. What he didn't realize was that Dillon leaned his head in at the last second.

"So you can hit harder than you think," he observed. "Let's talk for a moment."

"But Commander Shadis-!"

"I'm keeping an out eye for him," he assured. "Armin, the only reason you think you're weak is because you've _accepted_ the fact that you're weak. When you became more passionate, you were able to hit harder. That passion you have towards the injustice done to your grandfather and those refugees? Channel that passion into your fighting! You'll start seeing-!" He stopped talking for a second when he noticed Annie in the distance taking down Eren with a little more than excessive force. "—improvement. In fact, why don't you train with our two-meter Titan, Bertholdt?"

Armin's eyes widened in horror. "But he's practically a foot taller than I am!"

"I'm not asking you to beat him," Dillon stated firmly. "I'm asking you to go ask him for help. I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you some pointers." _If I trained him the way my father trained me, or how I've been training Jean and Connie, he won't last._ "We'll talk more later. If you'll excuse me, I need to go see what's gotten Annie riled up."

* * *

(Earlier)

Eren stared in awe as Reiner was knocked to the ground in the position he was in earlier. The guy was one foot bigger than she was and she took him down as if he was nothing. Then again, he had it coming for suckering him into a fight with Annie.

"That's some technique," he complemented. "Who taught you how to fight like that?"

"My father did," she answered.

"Did you…pioneer it, or-?"

"Does it really matter?" Annie interrupted. "It's pointless. Just like all this."

Now, Eren was confused. "Wait, you mean the training in general?"

She looked at the other cadets that were sparring. "Hand-to-hand combat doesn't really count against our final grade. The smart ones blow it off. It's a crapshoot anyway. Only the top ten cadets get to serve in the Interior. The rest of us? Forget it! Point is, only the idiots like you take this part of boot camp seriously."

Annie stopped talking when she spotted one of the most insulting things she had ever seen. Sasha and Connie were not only not training, but making outlandish versions of certain fighting styles. Connie even had the wooden knife in his mouth. If Shadis didn't grab him by the head and yell expletives at him for that stunt, she probably would've started breaking their bones herself.

"Idiots, and whatever they are," she said.

Suddenly, she whipped around and attempted to plunge the wooden knife in Eren's heart, but he brought his arm just in time to keep it away from his chest.

"First rule of this life, kid," Annie continued, her tone becoming darker. "The better you are at dropping the bad guys, the more distance the powers-that-be put between you. That's what this whole stupid farce is about."

"Sure," Eren replied with gritted teeth, trying to push her arm back with his other hand. "Whatever you say!"

Naturally, whatever plan of attack he had was foiled by a low spinning sweep kick that brought him back to his new friend: the ground. Now, he was trying to keep the knife by plunging into his neck.

"Face it! You don't fight the nature of things and win!"

At this point, he honestly believed Annie was trying to kill him. The two locked eyes for quite a while, one pair full of fear, and the other full of apathy.

Finally, Annie stood up and stared down at him. "Look around you, Eren. All the sons of bitches really expect us to do is play the game. Don't be a pawn."

On that note, she walked away…only to nearly run into Dillon.

"Quite the pessimist, aren't you?" he commented.

"It's called being realistic," Annie corrected with an annoyed look. "I'm not an idealistic fool who thinks the world will be saved because I have determination, willpower, and all that crap."

"Are you talking about Eren, Marco, or me?" Dillon questioned, a little offended.

"You tell me," she challenged, circling him with the knife still in hand. She was sizing him up. "What drives you, Amsdale?"

That question caught him off guard, and it made him a little nervous. "Mind clarifying what you mean?"

"You know very well what I mean," Annie stated frostily as she glared into his brown eyes, a slight sneer on her lips. "Why are you here with the 104th? Is it guilt that drives you? Perhaps you think that coming all the way from the Interior helps the dead refugees rest a little easier!" Even with that monotone, she could still sound patronizing.

Dillon glared at her, clenching his fist. "I will admit that guilt played a factor. Nothing wrong with that, is there, Leonhart?"

Annie fixed a glare on him and stopped circling him. "Get over it. They're dead. Nothing you do will change that. But if that doesn't drive you fully, what does? Why are you here?"

Why was he here? Now that was a good question. Many factors influenced his decision to join the military. The 250,000 people that were send to their deaths by the government to ease the food shortage, hence the guilt she brought up. The horror stories of what the titans did to the victims that were trapped in their hands. The desire to make a difference, to make the world a better place.

His moral stance on life demanded that he stand against the titans who threatened the life of every soul within the walls. Of course, he also had his powers to help with said goal, but he couldn't mention that to her. Not yet anyway.

"Because someone has to fight the monsters outside these walls," Dillon confidently. "I'm here to fight and make a difference, to make the world a better place."

Annie scoffed at his response. "Congratulations, Amsdale. You're a typical, idealistic idiot. I'm disappointed. You think you can change the world because…what? You have heart? You have morals? You have determination? If you think any of that matters to a Titan, you're not only an idiot, but delusional as well."

"Maybe it's because I'm one of the few people that has hope!" Dillon shouted, his temper flaring for a second. "That's been in short supply since the moment Wall Maria was breached. It's what gets me up every moment. It's what guides my actions. The hope that whatever I do will make a difference."

Annie's eyes narrowed dangerously at that response, her tone becoming ominous to the point of being sinister. "Do you really think you can go against the nature of the world, that you can bend the strings of reality to match your desires?"

She was testing him to see how confident he was in his statements, to see if he would falter. It wasn't going to happen.

Dillon leaned in, matching her glare with his own, and spoke in a low tone. "Who knows, Leonhart? I just might surprise you!"

Annie was shocked at how much conviction there was in his tone. He honestly believed that he had the ability to make a difference in this war. It wasn't just hope. There was something else, something he wasn't telling her. What was this surprise he mentioned? Was it possible that he was…?

"Your turn," he stated, crossing his arms. "Why are you here?"

Annie paused, staring at the wooden knife in her hand. "I want to survive."

Dillon nodded his head. "I figured as much. You've been through hell. There's no shame in that."

This time, he was the one to walk away while Annie pondered their conversation.

 _When I think I have you pegged, you surprise me. I don't know who you are, Dillon Amsdale, but I will find out. Count on it!_

* * *

Later that evening, Dillon found himself at the same table as Jean and Marco. When inquired about their sparring earlier, they revealed Jean got the upper hand on Marco a lot more, though he did suffer a few losses due to some quick thinking on Marco's part. Still, the training with Dillon paid off so far.

Rapidly, the subjects of their conversation were changing. Right now, Jean was explaining how he managed to do cool things with the 3DM gear and still conserve gas. However, given how often he was eying Mikasa, it seemed like he was trying to impress her more than anything. While he had Marco's attention, Dillon wasn't listening, still mulling over the conversation he had with Annie earlier. He couldn't get over how downright menacing she was towards the end, almost as if she was planning to be the obstacle trying to stop him. Why was she so creepy?

"…just for a second. That's how you conserve fuel. Let your momentum do the work for you."

"Still, that's pretty advanced," Marco said, impressed.

Naturally, Jean's ego was growing by the second. "Duh. It's called having a sixth sense for the finer points of your gear. You gotta do the strut if you wanna make the cut. The MP only recruit the best."

The minute the word "MP" left his lips, Dillon became fully invested with the conversation.

Marco sighed wistfully. "Man, that'd be great. Working within a stone's throw of the king. No greater honor than that."

"I think taking down corruption should rise a little higher on your list, Marco," Dillon pointed out. "I mean, if you want to go work for the king, that's up to you. It's just that I feel that every time Mom comes home and tells us that after days of fighting, she managed to put someone horrible behind bars, that makes the world a little safer and us a little happier."

There was a gleam in Jean's eye. "I can see it now, Dillon. The two of us fighting side-by-side to bring down the bad guys and pick up a few girls along the way."

Dillon planted his face in his hands with a groan. "Oh, God, I created a monster!"

One thing that he constantly brought to Jean's attention when talking about the Military Police was the corruption within their force. He theorized how the easy life in the Interior could've been Phase 1 of getting the MPs to slowly start looking the other way before they were neck-deep into the hole they were slowly digging themselves in. Now, Jean had a new motivation for joining the Military Police: fighting crime including the dirty officers. Apparently, he was also deluded into thinking that was going to help him get laid too.

"Think about it," Jean urged, leaning in with a grin. "With your fighting skills, my charisma, and your mom, the DA? We'll be the greatest crime-fighting team that ever existed!"

"Easy there," he said, leaning back a little from getting his privacy invaded. "Let's try to make it in the Top 10 first. Then we'll talk about this…team." _It's not a bad idea._

Satisfied, he turned to Marco. "And you can drop the misty-eyed BS."

Marco's eyes widened in shock. "Huh?"

"Honor doesn't have any damn part of it. You just want a nice, cushy job in the Interior playing sentry."

"That's not true!" he protested. "That's not true at all!" _Stop looking at me like that! You're creeping me out!_

Dillon's eyes widened. _Why did I just hear Marco's thoughts?_

Naturally, Eren had a bone to pick with them. "Listen to you guys. Interior? Five years ago, this part of it."

"You got a point to make, friend?" Jean questioned. "I'm right here!"

Eren chuckled, setting down his drink. "Poor Jean. So misguided. And besides…I don't think your head will fit in the Interior anyway."

That comment sparked a few chuckles.

"Very funny," Jean said, not amused.

"Eren Yeager making a joke?" Dillon asked, genuinely surprised. "I think someone flew to the moon today!" _Though, to be fair, it wasn't a very good one._

Eren ignored him. "Seems a little backwards to me. Fine-tuning your Titan-killing skills so the brass will station you somewhere you'll never see one."

"You'd rather I was good at getting killed?" Jean retorted. "Thank you, but I'll pass! Better to play the system than get gnawed on."

Dillon's eyes flashed unintentionally as he felt a disturbing memory rise to the surface.

 _He was in the ruins of a city that was overrun by Titans. He was being carried by someone, but he couldn't tell by who. However, what captured his attention was the most horrifying thing he had ever seen. It was a Titan, a rather large one, raising a human up to its terrifying, grinning face._

 _"MOM!" he screamed, his eyes blinded by tears._

 _The monster opened its mouth and bit down._

Dillon shook himself out of that memory just in time to see Eren start to lose it. It all started to make sense.

"You son of a bitch!" he shouted, getting up.

"Bring it on, you little bastard!" Jean taunted, meeting him halfway.

"Eren, please stop it!" Armin pleaded as Eren grabbed Jean's shirt.

"Enough!" Dillon exclaimed, stepping in between and shoving them both back, his hands holding them by their shirts. "Stand down, both of you!" He jerked his head a little bit, various thoughts getting louder in his head. One, however, was the loudest.

 _You think you can tell me what to do!?_ Eren thought furiously.

Jean snorted, but he did what he said. Last thing he needed was to get more bruises.

Eren, however, started yelling louder. "YOU RIP MY SHIRT AND YOU'RE DEAD! LET GO!"

"Not until you get a grip!" Dillon stated firmly, trying his damndest to ignore the cacophony in his mind.

 _You think just because you're from the Interior makes you better than us!?_ Eren thought. _Try this on for size!_

To his surprise, Eren grabbed his hand that was holding him by his shirt and pushed it down. Simultaneously, Eren put his other hand on his neck in an effort to move him backwards. One quick look at the floor told Dillon his plan: he was going to try to kick his legs out from under him in a similar way Annie did to him earlier. To the untrained eye, that would've worked. Not so much to the trained eye. Quickly, Dillon wrenched his hand out of his grip, making his own move. With one hand, he grabbed his shirt again. With the other, he grabbed the hand around his neck. With both hands, he flipped Eren onto a table back first, scattering what was on it in the process.

"Nice try," he complemented, staring down at Eren's angry face, "but that's not the grip I meant."

Of course, Dillon forgot one detail in regards to Eren Yeager.

 _BAM!_

He found himself crashing against the wall and sliding to the ground. Mikasa had come to her adopted brother-boyfriend's rescue.

"Back off!" she warned while helping Eren up.

"I can handle myself, Mikasa!" the green-eyed boy protested.

Dillon wasn't paying attention, his mind becoming a complete wreck. The voices were now louder and stronger, drowning out everything that was going on around him. With a groan of pain, he held his head, trying to calm his brain enough to get himself out of here without causing an incident.

Unfortunately, everyone started to gather around him. He couldn't hear them, but their thoughts quickly shifted to concerns about him. That he could hear!

 _"He doesn't look okay!"_

 _"What's the matter with him?"_

 _"Mikasa couldn't have hit him that hard!"_

 _"Maybe we should get help!"_

 _"What's wrong with him?"_

 _Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!_

Regaining control over the volume of the thoughts for a moment, he assured, "I'm fine! I…" He felt a little blood from the back of his head. Perfect! "…I seem to be bleeding from my head."

Suddenly, the door slammed wide open, catching them all by surprise.

"What's going on here, maggots!?" Shadis demanded. He stalked towards Dillon with that nightmare-inducing glare. "Sina Brat, why are you lying on the ground!?"

"I slipped, sir!" Dillon lied, not wanting to cause trouble. "I don't think it's that bad."

"Bullshit!" he exclaimed. "Either you come clean, or it's fifty laps around the compound for everyone except you!"

Dillon grimaced. If he went with that option, he would get a lot of hate from the cadets. Looking out for his comrades was one thing; getting everyone punished when most of them had nothing to do with the incident was another.

Quickly, he summed it all up. "Eren and Jean had another lover's spat. I broke it up. Eren attacked me. I defended myself. Mikasa kicked me in retaliation. The end, sir." _I have to get out of here!_

"Is this true!?" Shadis demanded, looking at the cadets that were mentioned.

Reluctantly, the three said, "Yes, sir."

"You three have earned yourself 10 laps around the compound! I expected better from you, Ackerman! MOVE!"

Quickly, the three ran outside.

Shadis looked back at Dillon, who was back on two legs. "Is another trip to the infirmary necessary, Amsdale?"

 _That's the last thing I need!_ "No, sir!"

"Then get the hell out of my sight! All of you!"

Like mice scurrying away from an angry cat, the recruits bolted. Dillon tried not to stumble down the stairs and barely succeeded. He ignored people asking him if he was okay and made a beeline towards the barracks.

Once inside, he climbed into bed and started concentrating, putting several fingers in precise places on his head. The blocks on his mind were starting to wear off. This happened every year or so as he grew older. The insane overload of thoughts was only the beginning. If this kept up, he would start bleeding from the ears and nose. That only happened once and he was going to keep it that way.

Slowly, the voices started to die down until they came to complete silence. He felt a little rejuvenated with the blocks updated, and good thing too, for a lot of the guys crowded around his bed.

"Dude, are you okay?" Connie asked. "You looked like you were about to vomit!"

"Headaches," he told them, telling most of the truth. "Every couple of years, I get them. I just needed to get to somewhere quiet so they would go away. Mikasa's attack didn't help things."

Marco nodded in understanding, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest, Dillon. We don't want you to go through more than necessary around here."

"No need to dote on me, Marco," Dillon chuckled. "I'm fine now. Now, unless you all are about to attempt to sleep in the same bed with me, I would like my personal space back."

Getting the message, the boys backed off, heading to their own bunks.

Dillon sighed, staring at the ceiling of the bunk above him. He was disappointed that Eren still viewed him as the Sina Brat. Any good terms they had were promptly crushed the moment he retaliated against him. Being friends with Jean probably escalated things.

Speaking of which, before he forgot, Dillon pulled out his journal and jotted down one sentence: _"Dillon Amsdale and Jean Kirstein: Crime Fighters?"_

* * *

 **AN: Phew, this was a REALLY hard one to do, but I did it. Thanks again to the Notorious T.**

 **I really like your reviews, so please keep leaving them.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So, I got a new laptop! Yay! Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Again, many thanks to Notorious T for helping me out with this chapter. He's my unofficial beta reader.**

* * *

Chapter 5: The Gift of Practicality

 _"Annie Leonhart. Now there was a girl that was shrouded in mystery. There were days where she and I were on friendly terms…well, as friendly as she could get. Those were the moments where I could finally get her to open up a little more instead of her being on the defensive so much. Her mother passed away when she was younger, though she never liked talking about it. I could tell when she talked about her father that she missed him a lot. I'm hoping that she'll get the chance to see him again. When this was all over, maybe I could try helping her find him._

 _"However, those days were rare for her. Most of time, she was cold, always wanting to push people away, except for me it seemed. I've seen her smirk, but I've never seen her smile except for the time I made her laugh, and that was in 847. I always wondered what happened in her life to drive her to this point. So, I concocted a plan that I hoped would finally make her days a little brighter. There were advantages to being a blacksmith._

 _"Unfortunately, there was one obstacle that I had to get pass first."_

* * *

(March 20)

"You wanted to see me, Commander?" Dillon asked.

Shadis pulled out a brown box from his desk that had clearly been opened recently. "Open the box and tell me what's inside, Amsdale."

Nodding, he took off the lid, revealing two, black knifes with six-inch blades. There were in perfect condition, indicating that they had never been used. There were also two, small letters engraved on the hilt: **D.A.** He gulped, realizing where this was going. "These are boot knifes I made, sir."

"How do you know these are yours?" he interrogated.

Dillon took notice of a couple of guards tightening their grip on their guns behind him. If this was going to lead to an arrest, he had a few tricks up his sleeves to escape. Of course, he didn't need to escape just yet, so he continued talking. "Every weapon I made has the initials **D.A.** on the hilts. My father does the same thing, except his are **M.A.** It's not just an artist signing his work; it's doubles as an insurance policy in case someone decides to kill someone else with our weapons. Makes tracking them down easier."

Shadis walked over to him, his stare as menacing as ever. "Then explain to me why these weapons were delivered to you and what you are planning to do with them."

Taking a deep breath, Dillon said, "I asked my parents to send them to me so I can give them to Annie Leonhart for her birthday. I thought she would appreciate them, sir."

He snorted. "The gift of weapons. How romantic."

 _Careful, Shadis. I can smell your sarcasm._ "It's not like that," he explained. "You see, I've known Annie for a while, and-."

"Save it, Amsdale," Shadis interrupted, returning to his desk. "I'm holding you personally responsible if I find one of these knifes in the back of a soldier! Do I make myself clear!?"

"Yes, sir!" Dillon responded, but then a thought came to him. "Uh, sir, if you don't mind me asking…when is her birthday?"

Once again, he was on the receiving end of the yellow-eyed glare. "Figure it out yourself, Amsdale! I'm not about to reveal personal information to help you get laid!"

Dillon blushed in embarrassment. "That's not my intention, sir."

"GET OUT OF HERE, MAGGOT!"

Taking the box, Dillon dashed out of Shadis's office before the commander entertained the thought of throwing one of the knifes at him. He should have thought out that plan more. He couldn't ask Annie herself. She would get suspicious and the surprise would be ruined.

He took another look inside and noticed a letter. He opened it up and only found too words on the paper: **"Good luck!"** Short, brief, and to the point. Definitely his father. However, it felt like his father anticipated that he would run into a setback and this was him offering up his wisdom on the matter. Dillon had to come up with an idea fast in case Annie's birthday was right around the corner.

Then, an evil grin appeared on his face. There was one girl who, with the right motivation, would get him exactly what he wanted.

* * *

"Another piece of bread, Sasha?"

Sasha gratefully took it, chomping it down. "Thanks, Dillon." It was her fourth piece of bread.

Dillon considered himself lucky. Annie wasn't in the mess hall at the moment, giving him the chance to say her name without said person hearing it. She had incredible hearing after all. The first two pieces were for if Sasha knew when her birthday was, but she didn't know. The next two was for his Plan B.

Once Sasha swallowed the bread, she reiterated what she was told. "So, let me get this straight. You want me to ask the scariest girl in the Corps when her birthday is so you can surprise her with your gift. Is that what I'm hearing?"

Dillon nodded. "And she can't know that you're planning to tell me. The minute she finds out, she'll know what I'm up to."

"If she asks why I'm asking her, what's my reason?" she questioned seriously.

"Anything that doesn't put her on the path towards me," he answered. "Maybe you want to throw a party for her or something like that."

"I'll think of something," she assured. "How long do I have?"

"Get the date as fast as you can," he replied, equally serious. "For all I know, it could be tomorrow. The second you find out, come find me without Annie seeing you relay the information to me. I'm counting on you."

Sasha patted him on the head, smiling. "Don't worry about it, Dillon. Sasha Braus has got it covered. You just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show."

 _Why do I get the feeling those are the last words I'll ever hear from you?_

* * *

Not many people knew this about Sasha, but when she was sufficiently paid for a mission, nothing would stop her from completing it. Give her a piece of meat and she would take on the Titan army herself. Four pieces of bread was enough to get her to retrieve the information for Dillon as a down payment. It was going to be tough with a minor chance of injury, but she was confident she could get it done.

She spotted Annie leaning against the side of the barracks, looking bored and apathetic. So, nothing out of the ordinary.

 _Commencing Operation: Breaking the Ice. Plan A: Casual Conversation._ Sasha thought as she approached the target. "Hi, Annie!"

The blond-haired girl barely gave an indication that she heard her other than a mumbled, "Sasha."

Sasha leaned on the barracks next to her and started talking. "You know, I just realized something. I don't know a lot about you."

"So?" Annie asked, her tone indicating that she wanted her to leave.

"So, I thought it would be fun to get to know each other," she said, ignoring Annie's unspoken request. "Let's see. I'm from Dauper Village, south side of Wall Rose. Where are you from."

"Wall Maria," she answered bluntly.

Sasha sucked in a nervous breath. "Okay, scratch that off the list. Um…oh! I'm 14. How old are you?"

Annie rolled her eyes and gave a begrudging answer. "Almost 14."

 _The trap is set and the prey draws near._ "Really? When's your birthday?"

"Why does it matter to you?" she questioned, annoyed.

Sasha groaned. "Oh, come on! You can't give me at least that! It's just a date! I just want to know something about you."

Annie stared at her firmly. "Here's a fact about me you should've picked up on a long time ago: I don't like talking to people that waste my time with pointless questions. Go be a bother to someone else."

Normally, those words would sting a normal person, but Sasha was not normal. As Annie walked away, she called out, "I'm not giving up, Annie! I will know the truth!"

 _Plan A: Failed._

* * *

(Later)

 _Plan B: Casual Dialogue as a Distraction._

Among the many things that cadets had to be trained in, horseback riding was essential. In order for the Survey Corps to elude the Titans and conserve gas when they ventured into Titan territory, they had to learn how to ride at high speeds and maneuver quickly. If someone fell of their horse, their days were numbered by minutes. The instructors set up an obstacle course, the obstacles being cardboard Titans. The path that was set before them would take them close to the Titans and they would have to dodge them by the skin of their teeth to get a feel for what it's like out there. Ymir learned the hard way that too much of a sharp turn could make things worse. She turned so sharply that she flew off the horse and broke her leg on the landing. Her chances of getting into the Top 10 were dwindling.

Surprisingly, Sasha was a master at high-speed horseback riding. According to Connie, she was from Dauper, a village that was well-known for its hunters. She's tracked down beasts of all sizes so she could help her father bring food to the table. That explained her obsession with a food that was becoming rare in Wall Rose: meat.

Unfortunately for a certain blond-haired cadet, that meant she could multitask.

"I still don't understand why you can't at least give me a date!" Sasha shouted over the wind as she made a clean, sharp turn. "Look how easy it is! July 26! That's when mine is!"

It was like Sasha was sent to this planet to get Annie to snap, but she was stronger than that. There was only one way to deal with a nuisance like her: ignore her while galloping away.

"Okay, how about this!?" Sasha offered. "If I guess the month of your birthday, tell me! Same goes for the day when we get there! So, March!?"

 _Does she ever shut up!?_ Annie wondered, getting more and more aggravated by the second.

"April!? May!?"

(Later, back at the starting point)

"October!? November!?"

"Shut up already!" Annie yelled, finally reaching the end of her rope. She came to a stop and glowered at the tormentor. "You've circled through the months three times! Get this through your thick skull, Braus: we are not friends and we will never be friends! Just leave me alone!"

She jumped off the horse and stalked away for the second time today to the astonishment of her fellow recruits. They had never seen Annie lose her temper like that before. They made mental notes to stay away from her even more than usual.

Sasha smirked at the spectacle. _I'm wearing her down._

 _Plan B: Failed_

* * *

(That evening)

 _Plan C: Too Exhausted to Resist_

"How about January?"

Annie let out an animalistic growl, trying to get to sleep. "They will never find your body, Potato Girl!"

 _Plan C: Failed._

* * *

(March 21)

 _Plan D: Bargaining._

"Hey, Annie!"

Annie wanted nothing more than to scream to whatever deity was out there to consume Sasha Braus in a fireball, so she let out a groan. "What now, Sasha?"

To her surprise, the irritant tossed a wooden knife to her. "I want to fight you."

Annie caught it, realizing where this was going. "Let me guess: you win, I tell you when my birthday is?"

"No," Sasha answered, stretching out her arms in preparation. "If I hit you once, you tell me when your birthday is. If I don't hit you, I'll never ask that question again. Do we have a deal?"

The blond-haired girl sighed. "Fine."

Quickly, she stuck out her hand. "Shake on it."

Slowly, Annie shook her hand. "I'll make this quick." She didn't give Sasha a second to prepare. Annie tackled her to the ground and jammed the knife into her chest. She really wished it was a real knife. "We're done here."

Then, Sasha did something she didn't expect: she flicked her on the nose.

"Got you!" she exclaimed happily.

 _Seriously?_ "I already killed you," Annie pointed out.

"I'm pretty sure I'm still alive," she replied, moving her fingers to make sure.

She shook her head in annoyance, feeling a migraine coming on. It was like talking to a five-year old. "For the purpose of this exercise, when my knife penetrates your chest, you lose."

Sasha would not stop grinning. "You said I had to hit you once. You never said I had to beat you…or live. I flicked you on the nose; therefore, I win."

Annie stared at her as if she grew three heads. _Did I just get played by Potato Girl?_

"To shake my hand is as binding as a blood oath," Sasha pointed out seriously. "I fulfilled my terms of the bargain. Now, fulfill yours."

To this day, Annie would never admit that what she did was well-played. She got off her and finally came clean. "My birthday is tomorrow, March 22nd."

Sasha hopped back up, a feeling of accomplishment passing through her. "Thanks, Annie. See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" The feeling vanished the moment she was given the infamous stare that was usually followed by a major beating. Then, the evilest of all evil smiles appeared on her face, sending shivers down Sasha's spine. If she survived this encounter, she would be seeing that in her nightmares tonight.

"You should've quit while you were ahead," Annie said darkly, cracking her knuckles.

* * *

 _BAM! BAM! BAM!_

Groaning, Dillon threw himself off the bed after putting away his journal and opened the door. What he saw caused him to stagger back in shock It was Sasha, but her face, which was incredibly swollen, was covered in bruises and scratches. Judging by the way she was standing, it looked like she had a limp too. Nevertheless, she was still smiling as if she was promised a lifetime supply of meat…which Dillon was smart enough to not promise.

"Annie's birthday is tomorrow," she announced happily. "Mission accomplished!"

"Thanks, Sasha," he replied hesitantly, a little concerned for physical health. "Are you, uh, okay?"

She brushed it off. "Oh, please. If Shadis could make me run 'till I passed out, I can handle a few scrapes."

Dillon shook his head. "I don't even want to know."

 _Operation: Breaking the Ice: Successful!_ _Reward: ten steamed potatoes._

* * *

(March 22)

 _Okay, Dillon. You can do this._ He coached himself as he stood in front of the girls' barracks. _Just knock on the door and ask to see Annie Leonhart._

 _Let's think of all the ways this could go wrong._

* * *

 _"Hey, Annie. I made you these knifes," Dillon said, handing her the gift._

 _Annie looked pleased with the gift, but no smile. "Thanks, Dillon. This is just what I needed."_

 _"Really? What for?"_

 _Without blinking, she stabbed him right in the heart with a sadistic grin on her face. "I'll give you one guess!"_

 _The last thing Dillon heard before he succumbed to his injuries was the sound of Annie laughing maniacally._

* * *

 _Okay, that's probably not gonna happen. But there are other people who might take it the wrong way._

* * *

 _"But, Commander, I swear I wasn't planning on assassinating you!" Dillon protested as he was being led away by two soldiers. "The anonymous tip was lying, sir!"_

 _"DEFIANT TO THE END, MAGGOT!?" Shadis roared. "WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU, YOU'RE GONNA BE SINGING LIKE A MAJESTIC EAGLE!"_

 _Nobody noticed in the background Annie tossing one of the knifes in her hand, smirking._

* * *

Dillon slapped himself. _Get a hold of yourself! Annie isn't a monster. She's a human being. Just knocked on the damn door._

"Hi, Dillon!"

With a high-pitched yelp that he would later deny making, Dillon whirled around to see sweet, beautiful Krista with a smile that could make anyone feel better about life.

"Hi, Krista," he greeted, panting from shock.

"I didn't mean to startle you," she said.

"It's fine," he assured. "I was just lost in thought. How's Ymir?"

A frown creased her face. "She won't be walking for a couple of weeks. At least she didn't get discharged to the fields."

While Ymir wasn't his favorite person, Dillon still sympathized with her. "Well, at least you two can be thankful for small blessings."

Curious, Krista gestured to the box in his hand. "Who's that for, Dillon?"

"Oh, this? This is for Annie," he explained.

The smile blossomed right back on her. "Aw, that's so sweet."

Blushing a bit, Dillon stared at the door as if it was a great obstacle. "I've been trying to muster up the courage to knock on the door and ask for her, but the worst-case scenarios keep popping up in my mind. I thought that giving her this gift would finally make her smile for a change, but what if she doesn't? What if she gets annoyed with me? What if by wanting her to be happy ends up backfiring somehow?"

Krista placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Dillon, didn't your parents ever teach you not to focus on what-ifs?"

"Yes," he answered, happy that Ymir wasn't around to go ax-crazy on him for being near her.

"It's hard to, isn't it?" she asked.

"It is," Dillon agreed.

"Here, I'll help you!" Before he could stop her, Krista opened the door and exclaimed, "Annie, Dillon wants to talk to you about something important!" She turned around and mouthed, "Good luck!" before vanishing into the barracks.

"I wasn't ready!"he mouthed back, inwardly panicking.

In about three seconds, Annie walked out of the door and stared at him blankly. "What is it, Dillon?"

Hoping that he wasn't sweating and taking a deep breath, Dillon held the box out to her. "Happy birthday, Annie!"

Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, this…is for me?"

 _Okay, you can roll with this._ "Don't tell me you've never had a birthday gift," he said.

"I can't…remember the last time I had one," she admitted, taking the box into her hands.

Dillon's face fell for a moment. "Oh. I didn't know. Well, I hope you like this."

Before she opened the box, Annie looked at him, realization dawning on her. "Wait a minute. It was you. You put Sasha up to it yesterday."

"Guilty as charged," he replied with a smirk. "She was the only one I could think of that could get the information out of you without you figuring out that it was for my benefit. Go ahead. Open it."

Annie tossed the lid off the box and stared at the knifes, surprised. "Are these boot knifes?"

Impressed, he replied, "Good eye. I made them myself. I figured you were the type of girl that would like something with practicality. If there's ever a need to defend yourself, you've got two knifes to whip out."

Carefully, she stuck the knife in her boot next to her foot. "Fits like a glove."

"The knifes are standard issue for soldiers," Dillon added. "You should see how many we have at the Forge." _Oh, come on, Dillon. What was the point of saying that? It bears no relevance to the conversation._

Annie was about to do the same for the other knife when she paused. She glanced back at him, suspicion on her face. "Why are you doing this, Dillon?"

He tilted his head, confused. "Huh?"

Putting the box down, she crossed her arms, her eyes going cold once again. "What's the catch?"

Dillon couldn't help but groan in annoyance. "Seriously? Are we really doing this again?"

"No one has ever done something like this for me unless they wanted something from me in return," she shot back. "So, what is it? You want my life story? Are you expecting me to give you a gift in return? Or maybe you want me to have sex with you! I wonder how long that has been on your mind."

That crossed the line. Instead of shouting at her like he wanted to, Dillon settled for the sarcastic approach. "Yes, Annie. In exchange for these knives, I want your painful backstory. Leave nothing out." He snapped his fingers as his tirade full of mockery continued. "Actually, I have a better idea. I get to have sex with you because obviously, giving you sharp weapons was going to be a prelude to a night of sexual pleasures! Is that what you wanted me to say, Leonhart? Does that answer satisfy you?"

"You're mocking me," Annie stated, eyes narrowed yet again.

"And here I thought you were too stupid to figure that out!" was his biting remark.

Her eyes widened and her voice became low and dangerous. "What did you say to me?"

Dillon took a slow, deep breath, trying to rein in his emotions. Given the murder he saw in her eyes, he realized he went too far and decided to salvage this before something worse happened. "Okay, that was completely out of line. I shouldn't have said that." Once it was apparent she wasn't planning on assaulting him with deadly intent, he explained his motivation. "Annie, the reason I gave you those knives is because I wanted you to be happy. That's all there is to it. You know, I've gotten to know you for over a year, and save for the one time I made you laugh, you never seemed to have anything to smile about. I just thought that this would cheer you up a little."

Annie's anger slowly dissipated as the words sunk in. Like last time, she could tell that he was being sincere. He truly meant it as a gift, and she spat in his face in return.

He sighed, disappointed at how things turned out. "I'm sorry that I called you stupid, I'm sorry I made you mad, and I'm sorry I wasted your time."

Dillon turned to leave, but Annie quickly grabbed his shoulder to prevent him from walking away. "Dillon, wait!"

Surprised, he turned back around and noticed how…nervous and hesitant Annie looked. This was a side to her he'd never seen before.

"I learned at a young age that there are a lot of people in this world with ulterior motives," she explained, finding the ground to be an interesting sight. "They give you something to make you feel secure and safe…and then they own you."

Dillon's eyes widened, shocked. "Annie, please don't tell me this is going where I-!"

Her head shot back up, realizing the implications behind that line. "No! That never happened to me! It's just…when I was a refugee in Wall Rose, I had to do favors for several people to survive. Sometimes it was stealing money, and other times it was delivering packages to certain people."

"Drugs?" he questioned.

She nodded. "I was good at what I did, and I got rewarded with food. My 'gifts' always came at a price back then."

That made a lot of sense to him. Combined with the trauma of the Titan Invasion, getting separated from her father, and the fall of Wall Maria, she also had to deal with assholes who took advantage of beggars. No wonder she was so cold and angry most of the time.

"I'm sorry I accused you, Dillon," Annie continued, feeling a little ashamed. "I should have known better by now."

"Just promise me you won't start stabbing cadets with the knives and we'll call it even," he replied.

Then, she did it. Annie gave a small, genuine smile. "Thank you for the gift."

Something about that smile made Dillon feel like he won the grand prize in a tournament. It made him feel warm inside. "My pleasure, Annie. Happy birthday!"

Once Dillon left, Annie headed back into the barracks where sweet Krista was waiting with a cute smile.

"Aw, wasn't that sweet of him, Annie?" she asked.

Normally, Annie wouldn't have said anything, but she decided to oblige the girl this one time, taking the knife out of her boot. "Yes, it was."

However, the angel from heaven wasn't finished. "You know what I think? I think he has a crush on you."

That caught her off guard, her eyes widening. "Wait, what?"

"Think about it," Krista said, listing off the facts with her fingers. "Whenever he eats, he usually tries eating with you, the two of you seem to enjoy each other's company most of the time, and he went through all that trouble with Sasha just to find out when your birthday was."

Annie shook her head in disbelief, putting the knife back in its box. "You're delusional, Krista. There's no way someone like Dillon would…I mean, why would he…?" She was faltering as the facts started to come together in her mind. "Son of a bitch. He has a crush on me."

Krista frowned at how she said that statement. "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

Annie scoffed, stashing the box underneath her bed. "In case I haven't made it clear, the only reason I'm here is because I want to survive. Last thing I need is some guy choosing me as his crush. Besides, why me?"

She shrugged. "I can't answer that, Annie. You'd have to ask him yourself."

Once she was done securing the knifes, she faced Krista. "Look, just do me a favor and keep your theories to yourself. I don't need people gossiping about things that aren't true. I'll deal with this myself."

Krista's face fell, feeling sad for Dillon, but she had to be sure. "You don't have feelings for him, do you?"

Annie sighed. "Even if I did, it wouldn't work out. The only thing I would be good at is hurting him." She paused as a thought came to her. "Wait a minute! Why am I telling you all this!?"

"Because you trust me enough to keep quiet about it?" Krista suggested, resisting to urge to laugh.

She groaned. "Never mind. Just go do whatever you want. I don't care."

Krista took careful notice that Annie did not say she _didn't_ have feelings for Dillon. To her, that meant there was hope for the two of them after all.

* * *

 **AN: A filler chapter, I'll admit, but now the sparks are flying. Let's see where this escalates.**

 **So, I made two major references: one for a certain abridged series, and one to** _ **Limitless.**_ **The thought conversation Dillon has with himself was styled in the same format as Brian Finch's in** _ **Limitless**_ **. Go check out that show on Netflix. It's good.**

 **As always, keep on reading and reviewing.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I promise you all that I will reveal the source of Dillon's powers in the future. BTW, Happy New Year!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Survival Training

 _"It was supposed to be a simple exercise."_

* * *

Dillon lost track of how many times he wiped the sweat of his forehead. The merciless sun was bearing down on him and the other cadets as they traveled through the desert on horseback. He hoped the speed from the horses would've cooled them down, but his hopes were dashed. Still, it was better than traveling on foot.

The purpose of this exercise was to establish how well the cadets could sustain themselves during a time without a crisis. They were split into two groups, traveling two different paths that led to the same destination. From there, they would exchange reports on how well the cadets did written by a cadet on each team that would observe them, and journey back. The good news was, they had plenty of rations and water to last them the journey to and from their destination: a forest, which had plenty of freshwater lakes inside. The test was a birthday gift and the cadets would reap its spoils. Heck, even Shadis pointed out how easy it this would be when he gave them the assignment, though he reminded them that whether in the battlefield or not, a soldier is always a soldier.

Team A consisted of Eren, Marco, Dillon, Armin (chronicler), Jean, Mina, Connie, Sasha, and Krista.

Team B consisted of Thomas, Mikasa (chronicler), Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt, Samuel, Franz, and Hannah. Ymir would've been on Team B if she hadn't broken her leg a week prior.

However, there was one thing that concerned Dillon: Marco Bodt being the team leader. He didn't think badly of Marco. The guy had optimism that was seriously needed in these dark times, and he was friendly enough to get along with the other recruits. It's just that he couldn't see him as a person who could lead others. It was possible Marco could prove him wrong and prove his worth as a leader. Deep inside, though, Dillon knew he was a little sore about not being picked to lead the squad, but Shadis probably knew what he was doing. After all, a person can't grow without giving them the chance to grow.

"So, we're not allowed to go faster?" Marco asked Armin.

"Uh, yeah," the assigned chronicler answered.

"It'd be stupid if we did," Jean pointed out, sounding slightly more relaxed than the rest of the team. "For once, we can just take our time."

"Of course, you would say that," Eren sneered. "If you're gonna fall behind, I'm moving ahead."

 _And here we go again._ Dillon thought to himself with a roll of his eyes.

"Eren, wait!" Armin exclaimed as the green-eyed boy moved up ahead.

Fortunately, Marco stopped Eren albeit meekly. "Eren, we need to keep the formation. Jean, what should we do?"

"I don't care!" Jean stated, annoyed. "Besides, you're the leader, Marco. You make the call."

Marco heaved a sigh, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Let's just continue this exercise."

 _So much for that upbeat attitude._ Dillon thought with a frown. _Must be the heat._

"Will you get a move on?" Eren demanded to Jean. "Don't you have any endurance for this?"

"Do you ever shut up?" he shot back, irritated.

Connie groaned. "And there they go again."

"We have a long road ahead of us," Sasha said. "I'm not sure I can last the trip if the two keep bickering like this."

"You're not the only ones," Dillon added in a low voice only they could hear. The temptation to start punching them was rising.

To their credit, Eren and Jean quit going at each other's throats…for the next fifteen seconds.

Jean noticed to their right a giant, gray lizard walking with them. "Check it out. Seems like that lizard is heading our way."

"It's rare to see lizards around here," Marco noted.

"They're delicious, you know," Sasha mentioned. When a couple of cadets looked at her strangely, she elaborated. "Seriously, they are. My family and I used to eat them. They taste like chicken."

"I don't think I've had a lizard before," Dillon said. "Then again, I doubt lizards are commonplace in Yarckel." His mouth watered a little. It had been over a year since he had meat.

"You can cook?" Jean asked.

'"Can I cook?' he says," Sasha replied with a huge grin. "Easily."

"Well, in that case…"

Jean hit the horse with his foot, causing it to speed up to a gallop. He was going to hunt down that reptile.

"Hey, wait!" Marco protested.

"Sasha, get your cooking skills ready!" Jean exclaimed excitedly. "I'm gonna get that lizard!"

"No, don't," Krista protested.

"I'll go after him," Eren sighed, giving chase.

"This won't end well," Dillon mumbled, riding up closer to Marco. "I'm going after them before they get into another lover's spat."

Reluctantly, the squad leader nodded. "Hurry."

The lizard, realizing that it was being chased, made a run for it, but the small reptile was no match for the speed of a horse. When he was upon the lizard, Jean raised his sword to impale it, but instead of cutting through its flesh, it was blocked by another sword. Eren had caught up with him after all. Seizing the opportunity, the lizard fled.

"Are you serious, Eren!?" Jean demanded furiously.

"At least I'm taking this seriously!" he shot back.

"For the love of God, Eren, loosen up a little," Dillon advised, once he was in talking distance from them. "I know we're soldiers, but you don't need to be a stone-faced one for all eternity."

Once again, he found himself on the receiving end of Eren's glare, his most common expression. "Always with the lectures, aren't you? You always know just the right thing to say to everyone. You enjoy soaking up their admiration, don't you, Dillon?"

The blacksmith sighed in annoyance. "Look, I may not have witnessed my mother get eaten by Titans, but my experiences in the Interior helped me-!" _Oh, son of a bitch!_

Eren's eyes widened when the words slipped out of his mouth before he started shouting with rage. "How the hell did you know that!? I never told anyone!"

"Wait, what happened to your mom?" Jean asked, legitimately concerned.

Cursing his stupidity inwardly, Dillon was about to make up a lie on the spot when Marco, once the rest of the group made it to their position, intervened.

"Enough!" the team leader exclaimed. "You're acting like a bunch of children!"

"Back off, Marco," Jean demanded.

Marco stood his ground. "Get a hold of yourselves, all of you! If we delay, this incident will be reported." Quickly, he turned to Armin. "Armin, don't write this down yet."

"O-Okay," he stuttered.

Annoyed, Jean spoke his mind. "Write down, 'Jean Kirstein tries to find food during the exercise, but an annoying little shit prevents him."'

"Say that again!" Eren dared, looking like he was ready to draw his sword.

"YOU LET HIM GET AWAY!"

All eyes, which were filled with surprise, were now on Sasha, who was giving her version of a glare to Eren and Jean. She really wanted to eat that lizard. Dillon resisted laughing at how adorable she looked when she was upset by disguising it as a cough.

Sighing, Marco said, "Let's go. We're wasting time."

"Fine," Jean conceded, continuing the long march to the forest.

Before he went back to his own spot, Dillon answered Eren's earlier question. "You talk in your sleep sometimes. For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your mom."

"Save your pity," was the reply he got, though he could hear the sadness in his tone.

Once the rest of the group got back in formation, Dillon was mentally berating himself. He got lucky with that lie, but it couldn't happen again. Last thing he needed was a rage-filled, possibly insane cadet trying to figure out how he knew part of his dark past. It was highly unlikely he would guess the true reason, but Dillon preferred to not be questioned on it. He hated lying.

* * *

That night, the squad made camp in the forest. With the lack of any meat, they were forced to eat the food rations that were given to them. Considering the type of food Dillon was accustomed to in Yarckel, this slop they called stew was one of the worst things he had ever tasted. He wasn't the only one with those thoughts.

"So, this is what food rations taste like," Connie muttered in disgust.

"If we caught that lizard, we could be eating real food," Sasha pointed out.

"Maybe we'll see him again on the return trip," Dillon said, trying not to vomit out the contents. He would have to get used to this stuff fast.

"If I hear the word 'lizard' again, it'll be too soon," Jean grumbled.

"Funny," Eren snorted. "You were desperate to catch it earlier."

Jean sighed. "If it makes any difference, I was pretending I was hunting down a Titan."

The green-eyed lunatic didn't buy it for a second, getting angry once again. "Oh, please! You don't give a damn about the Titans!" He stood up aggressively, causing everyone to back up a little. "Why don't you tell them all the reason you joined the Training Corps? That you're nothing but a coward who'd rather hide than fight!"

"Will you give it a rest already?" Dillon asked, wanting the bickering to end.

"I can handle this, Dillon." Aggravated, Jean got to his feet, looming over him. "Unlike you, I actually want to live to see another day!"

"There won't be another day if we don't-!"

"Defeat the Titans!" Jean interrupted, waving him off. "We know! Guess what? I don't care anymore. If you keep that attitude up, you're gonna be Titan chow like your mother!"

With a scream, Eren tackled Jean to the ground, punching his face as hard as he could. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Quickly, Marco and Connie pulled the teen off Jean, holding him tightly so he couldn't go at him again. For once, Dillon gave Jean an unsympathetic look as he clutched his bloody nose. He had that coming for that low blow.

"I'LL KILL HIM!" Eren raged, struggling to escape. "LET ME GO!"

"Not on my watch!" Marco shot back, giving the two a stern and disappointed look. "You two are going to be sleeping far away from each other as you can. If I hear one more argument between the two of you, I will make sure Shadis hears about this. In fact, don't speak to each other for the remainder of the exercise!"

 _Nice job, Marco._ Dillon complemented inwardly.

"Works for me," Jean replied with a scowl, looking through the supplies for a first-aid kit.

Eren stopped thrashing like a wild animal, conceding to the terms. "Fine." Once he was released, he grabbed his sleeping bag and moved it to the far side of the camp.

"That was a close one," Mina commented, unsettled by that scene.

"Hopefully, they won't try to kill each other while they're sleeping," Connie added.

"Let's not give them any ideas," Dillon suggested, knowing the subjects of their conversation could hear them. He was about to start turning in for the night when he noticed Krista looking worried. "What's wrong, Krista?"

"I think I saw someone watching us," she answered nervously.

Instantly, a shiver went down Dillon's spine, but he retained his cool. He spoke in a whisper. "Don't point. Where did you see this person?"

Krista barely gestured to the left of her.

"Go tell Marco and the others, but keep it quiet and natural," he instructed. "If we're being watched, we need to take them by surprise."

Nodding, the blond-haired girl stretched a bit before heading over to other cadets. Dillon, meanwhile, slowly walked into the forest to look around. Without a torch, he couldn't see very well, so he decided to use his ears to pick up any leaves rustling or twigs snapping. He pulled out one of his boot knifes just to be safe.

 _Come out wherever you are._ Dillon thought as he scanned his surroundings of anything out of place.

After five minutes of looking around, he returned to the camp where everyone seemed a little on edge for obvious reasons.

"Anything?" Marco asked concerned.

Dillon shook his head. "Sorry, Krista. I didn't see anyone."

Several of the cadets breathed a sigh of relief.

"It was probably my imagination," Krista said, reassured that there was nothing out there.

"Say, did you by chance see any lizards while you were-!"

"ENOUGH WITH THE LIZARDS, SASHA!" was the chorused response.

Dejected, the meat-obsessed sank into her sleeping bag.

As Dillon set up his own bed, he couldn't get the feeling of being watched out of his mind. Still, he decided to shrug it off as paranoia and decided not to dwell on it. He should have, for if he investigated the ground, he would've noticed a footprint embedded in it.

* * *

(Later that night)

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Dillon's eyes shot open immediately. "Krista!"

He scrambled out of his sleeping bag only to find himself face to face with the barrel of a rifle. He slowly looked up at the owner, who was garbed in dark green clothes and a sack over his head. So there _was_ someone stalking them after all.

"Don't move," he warned.

Dillon gulped. Last time he had a gun in his face was when he was twelve and the forge was being robbed. Unlike last time, his dad wasn't around to save him. He slowly moved his head and analyzed the situation. There were four other armed men, aiming their guns at the cadets. They were surrounded. The way they stood and the way they carried their guns revealed they were professionals. One false move and someone would die.

"Get their 3DM gear!" one of the men ordered.

"What are you gonna do with them?" Eren demanded.

 _Shut up, Eren._ Dillon silently pleaded.

"Let's just say you rookies just made us rich men," the man standing over Eren answered. "There's not a chance we can beat the Titans, so we might as well get rich while we still can!"

Angered, Eren grabbed the gun and shoved it upwards to keep himself from getting shot. He began to wrestle for the gun and shouted, "Now, everyone!"

Dillon resisted the urge to facepalm. The rest of the men had them completely covered. There was too high a chance of someone getting shot. He was also unsure if he could attack all five of them mentally at the same time. Unlike Eren, he wasn't about to gamble with everyone's lives.

"Eren, don't!" Armin yelled as the man behind him shoved the gun deeper into his back.

Panic overtaking him, Jean attempted to make a run for it. Seeing this, one of the men fired a warning shot and the bullet grazed his cheek, leaving a scratch on it. Jean stopped dead in his tracks, shaking with fear. Eren, distracted by the sound of a gun going off, was hit in the head by the butt of the rifle. As expected, nothing had changed except for the injuries Eren and Jean sported and the tension rising higher.

"Don't be an idiot next time!" the man Eren wrestled with advised. "Unless you want a bullet in the head, I suggest you stay down!"

Eren growled angrily, but complied with the order. There was no sense in getting shot.

"What did you do to Krista?" Dillon asked as some of the men began taking the 3DM gear.

"We'll be taking her off your hands," the green man chuckled. "She'll have a lot of buyers lined up for her. Such a pretty thing, she is."

The blacksmith clenched his fist, doing everything he could to resist attacking them. "You scumbags are going to regret this."

"You hear that!?" Green Man asked in a mocking tone. "This little shit says he's gonna make us regret our crimes! Ooh, I'm scared now!"

The others laughed at Dillon's empty threat just as Green Man hit him in the stomach with the butt of his gun. He fell to his knees, groaning in pain. In hindsight, he probably should have seen that coming.

"Anyone else want to say something?" Green Man questioned to the other cadets. When no one responded, he said, "That's what I thought."

Once the men gathered the equipment, horses with carriages arrived on the scene. Seemed like they were part of some sort of gang or something like that. While they loaded up the 3DM Gear, another man walked out of the forest carrying Krista, looking completely terrified. The instinct to go save her was high, but the idea of getting shot in the process was higher. To make matters worse, they scared off the horses the cadets were using a long time ago, removing an advantage they had.

"Today, we have decided to spare your lives," a man in red, clearly the leader, announced after they tossed Krista in the back of one of the carriages. "There's no point in wasting our ammunition on you. But if you follow us, we will kill you."

Quickly, the men entered the carriages and rode off down the road, leaving behind the traumatized cadets. This was the first time something like this had happened to most of them. Dillon was accustomed to scumbags like that back in Yarckel. Eren, however, seemed more angry than traumatized.

"You cowards," he snarled, his rage letting loose. "If we all attacked them, we could have prevented this."

Reaching the end of his rope, Dillon grabbed Eren and slammed him against the trunk of a tree. His eyes were blazing with fury, but his voice was low. Good thing Mikasa wasn't here. "If you want to throw your life away like a suicidal bastard, that's fine by me, but if you risk all our lives like that again, you'll have me to deal with. Got it?"

Eren glowered at him, but he slowly nodded.

"Let him go, Dillon," Marco commanded, his voice weary. "This exercise is over."

Releasing Eren, Dillon asked, "So, how are we going to rescue Krista?"

"I…I don't think we can," the squad leader admitted. "If we hurry back to Shadis, maybe we can-."

"By then it'll be too late!" Eren interrupted, stalking up to Marco. "I'm not gonna let them take her! If I have to, I'll get her back myself!"

"Not alone, you aren't," Dillon stated, much to Eren's surprise. "I'm going with you, but we need to come up with a plan first. We can't rescue Krista if we're dead."

"I owe them for this scratch," Jean added, his fingers lightly brushing the wound. "Count me in."

Soon, the rest of the squad voiced in their agreement. They were all going to save Krista.

"How do we catch up with them?" Connie asked.

"I don't think we can find them even if we split up," Mina pointed out.

Sasha snapped her fingers, getting an idea. "That's it! Let's get to a high point. 'When you get lost in the mountains, get to the top. If you get lost in the forest, climb a high tree.' That's what my father taught me."

Marco smiled at her idea. "Good idea, Sasha. Let's move."

The cadets gathered what supplies they needed and stashed them in sacks. They would have to carry them for the rest of their journey. The map indicated a rocky path they would have to scale in order to reach the top. Without wasting any time, they hiked all the way to the top, though that was exhausting. Traveling uphill was always a challenge.

Once they reached the top of the slope, Jean was able to spot smoke in the distance. It seemed the kidnappers were at a rendezvous point of some kind. With no time to lose, the cadets slid down the slip, Sasha treating it like some sort of fun slide, and ran towards the campsite. When they got close enough, they wisely used a vantage point to spy on the kidnappers. Dillon pulled out a spyglass from his share of the supplies and looked at the site below him.

"I count eight men," Dillon announced softly, handing over the spyglass to Eren. "All armed. They're gonna travel with 3DM gear in one carriage and Krista in the other."

"Once we load everything, we leave!" the leader announced suddenly. "Hurry!"

"Now what?" Eren asked, passing the spyglass to Jean.

"We'll be too late at this rate," Jean added.

"If we go in now, we'll get shot," Marco pointed out.

"I have an idea," Armin said, examining a map. The guys observing the thieves slid down the slope to listen to his plan. "Since they're going to sell the stolen goods, they'll probably take the wide exit here." He pointed at a crossroads where two roads diverged. "We need to ambush them before they get there."

Connie examined the map, pointing out the flaw in the plan. "Without our horses, we won't be able to catch up with them."

"The fastest way to a destination is a straight line," Dillon stated. "They'll be traveling on the road while we cut through the forest."

Armin nodded in agreement. "We're going to have to run to make it there in time. If they take the wide road, we won't be able to ambush them. That being said, we need to find a way to get them on the narrow path."

"Do we have any rope?" Mina asked.

Eren pulled it out of his bag and handed it to her. "Here."

She smirked, coming up with a plan. "If we tie this around a tree and pull it down to the road, that should keep the kidnappers from going in that direction. This will require at least three people. A spotter, someone to pull the tree down, and someone else to back us up."

Connie grinned at Sasha. "What do you think, Sasha? Shall we join Mina on this excursion?"

"You can count on us!" she exclaimed happily.

One problem down.

"And if things go according to plan?" Jean questioned.

"We need to attack them from the trees," Eren said. "It's the only way to take them by surprise."

"Risky, but possible," Dillon pointed out, figuring out Eren, Jean, and himself would be doing the ambushing. "If we don't time our jumps just right, we'll end up with broken legs."

"Armin and I can signal you guys," Marco suggested. "We still have those empty cans from our dinner."

Jean grimaced as another thought occurred to him. "Wait, if the three of us are gonna attack both carriages, someone is going to have to fight alone."

"I'll do it," Dillon volunteered, turning to face them, "but on one condition: can we count on you two to put your differences aside long enough to get the job done?"

Eren and Jean stared at each other for a moment before nodding their heads in agreement. Krista's life was far more important to let their personal feelings get in the way.

"Failure is not an option!" Marco stated firmly. "Let's get Krista back!"

* * *

 _Don't look down! Don't look down!_ Dillon coached himself as he stood in the trees, waiting like Jean and Eren. Heights were something he found uncomfortable to say the least, but he had to push he fear aside. In fact, he could channel that into energy he would use against the kidnappers. There weren't any wheel tracks on the road meaning they beat them to their destination, giving Marco and Armin enough time to set up the cans for the signal and for the three ambushers to take a few minutes to catch their breath. The constant running was exhausting, but they kept Krista in their thoughts to keep them going. Right now, all they had to do was trust that Mina, Connie, and Sasha could do their part.

He was relieved when the sounds of horses clopping down the road broke the silence. The trio came through. Now came the hard part: waiting for the signal. He spared a glance at Jean and Eren, who were both prepared to leap off the trees at a moment's notice. There were two carriages, one for Krista, and another for the 3DM gear. They had no idea which cart held which, but that didn't matter. It was almost time.

 _Come on, Marco._ Dillon pleaded inwardly while taking several deep breaths to calm his nerves. _Don't be late._

The vehicles were directly below them when Marco activated the signal.

 _CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

On cue, the three cadets leapt from the trees into the carriages. Once Jean and Eren were inside, they noticed four guys. One was driving the carriage, and the others were unarmed save for the stupid expressions on their faces. Krista was nowhere to be seen, meaning this was the 3DM cart.

"What the hell!?" one of the men yelled, charging at Jean.

Jean slammed his elbow up, smashing into his chin. He didn't give him a chance to recover, so he shot out his foot, kicking him out of the carriage.

 _Looks like those lessons paid off._ He thought to himself.

Enraged, the two other men attacked the teens with the intent to kill. Sadly, for them, these teens were soldiers. With great speed, Eren grabbed his arm with one hand, grabbed his collar with the other, and tossed him to the ground as if he was nothing, heading towards the carriage driver. Jean's next opponent found himself on the receiving end of several punches to the face. To finish them off, he grabbed Eren's fallen opponent and tossed him right into the other guy, sending them careening out of the carriage.

As Eren got the driver into a headlock, the carriage shook violently as it ran over something large. Judging by the sick crunch, it was a human. Jean looked to the other carriage and dropped his jaw at the madness that was going on.

* * *

(One minute earlier)

Dillon tore through the roof and landed with bent knees to avoid breaking his bones. There were four men in this carriage. The leader was driving the carriage, another had a weird hat on, but was armed, Green Guy was there too, and some guy wearing brown. All of them had one thing in common: he took them all by surprise. Gasping in shock behind him was Krista, her bound arms attached to a hook on a pole. At least he didn't land on her.

"Remember me?" he asked, getting into a fighting stance.

Imminent danger first. Dillon kicked the Hat Guy back, loosening his grip on the rifle, before engaging the other two. Two-on-one fights were difficult for obvious reasons, but as long as he stunned one of them, it wouldn't be that much of a problem. He elbowed Green Guy in the chest and delivered a hard punch to the nose on Brown Guy solved, making it bleed. Unfortunately, Green Guy wrapped his arm around his neck, constricting his breathing.

"I've had enough of you damn brats," he snarled.

 _BAM!_ A foot smashed into the guy's head, sending him off of Dillon and to the ground. The teen gave a grateful look to Krista before leaping back into a fray, boot knife at the ready this time. Ironically, the spot where she was held captive was safest spot for her. All that changed, however, when the wheels ran over a rock. It shook the entire carriage enough to toss Krista off the hook and into Brown Guy.

"Get off," the smuggler ordered, tossing the still-bound blonde off him.

Dillon stumbled right into Hat Guy, who was attempting to shoot him point blank. He jammed his knife directly in his shoulder to prevent that. A quick kick to the groin kept him down while he cried in pain. Now armed, Dillon took aim at the remaining two goons, but Green Guy had Krista in a headlock and Brown Guy was standing next to him.

"Put the gun down, or I snap her neck," Green Guy threatened.

Dillon had an unsettling smirk on his face. "I told you I'd make you pay, didn't I?"

His eyes started to glow slightly and the two men started to cry out in pain. It felt like someone lit their minds on fire. Blood poured from their ears and noses, causing them to collapse to their knees and release Krista, who was completely confused as to what was happening. Dillon charged forward and slammed the butt of the gun right into Green Guy's head, which shattered on impact. To this day, Dillon didn't know what killed him: the blow to the head, or getting run over by the other carriage.

"You all right?" he asked her.

Krista stared at him with wide eyes. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," he lied. "I got lucky."

After Dillon cut the rope tying her hands together, he gave a swift kick to Brown Guy's face, knocking him out. With those guys out of the way, and Hat Guy having to deal with his injuries, the blacksmith approached the Leader, pointing the knife at the back of his neck.

"Stop the carriage!" he ordered.

"No," was the only response he got.

Suddenly, he felt his legs get kicked out from under him, losing his grip on the knife. Hat Guy wasn't down for the count after all. The wounded man, with his good arm, attempted to stab his head with the knife, but Dillon quickly exploited his weakness. With one hand, he held the knife arm back. With the other, he started punching his wounded shoulder several times. Unable to take the pain any longer, Hat Man stumbled back, giving Dillon enough room to kick him against the side of the carriage.

"And stay down!" he demanded, tossing the Leader away from reins.

"No!" the man cried, attempting to get pass Dillon, but Krista came up behind him and slammed what was left of the rifle in the back of the head.

"Nice one!" Dillon complemented.

Krista's eyes widened when she realized why the Leader wanted to get back to the reins. "We're gonna crash!"

Sure enough, the horses were heading straight towards a sheer drop with no sign of turning.

"Whoops!" Dillon exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Krista just as the carriage went over the edge.

The vehicle was a crappy one because it detached itself from the horses on landing. Also, the fall shattered the wheel on impact. Without the wheel, the balance of the carriage was dislodged and it fell to its side along with the passengers inside. It slid across the ground until it came to a stop at the base of a rocky slope, never to be used again.

Slowly, Dillon opened his eyes, his back feeling incredibly sore. He couldn't believe that he was still conscious after all that. A quick look to his left and his right showed the Leader groaning in pain and Hat Guy out cold. Brown Guy was nowhere to be seen.

 _He must've fallen out during the crash._ The teen theorized before turning his attention the blonde in his arms. "Krista, you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered. "Just a few scratches."

"You know, if Ymir saw us in this position, she would probably try to kill me," Dillon assumed.

Krista chuckled. "Yeah, she probably would."

Releasing on her, the two cadets got on their feet, relieved that they survived all of this.

"You go out front," Dillon said. "I'll go out back."

Nodding, she carefully stepped outside, checking to make sure she wasn't gonna get ambushed. As Dillon headed to the rear, he kicked the Leader several times in the head before he was unconscious. He did not want to get dropped on again.

So, naturally, the moment he was outside the broken carriage, someone tackled him to the ground. The back of his head hit the rocky surface hard enough to daze him. The punches hitting his face weren't helping, either. Seemed like Brown Guy had a personal vendetta against him, though how he regained consciousness so quickly was beyond him. The world was spinning and turning blurry.

"I'm going to kill you!" Brown Guy shouted, though his voice sounded far away.

 _I never would have guessed._ Dillon thought sarcastically.

He picked up something, probably a rock, and it raised high to beat him to death with it.

 _THUNK!_ A familiar boot knife pierced his head, killing him instantly.

"Dillon!" a voice called out as the body fell backwards.

The last thing Dillon saw before he passed out was a blonde-haired cadet rushing over to him.

* * *

"Hey, I think he's waking up!"

"Shh! Not so loud, Jean. He's still hurt."

"Sorry."

Groaning in pain, Dillon slowly opened his eyes. His body felt sore and his head felt like something was pounding against it. Judging by the nice bed he was laying on and the bandages around his head, he correctly guessed that he was in the infirmary. Standing over the bed was Jean, Krista, and, surprisingly, Ymir. Seemed like she was finally off her crutches.

"Hey, guys," Dillon greeted weakly.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Dillon," Jean replied with a grin.

"How are you feeling?" Krista asked.

"Like someone hit me in the head with a hammer," he answered. "What happened? Last thing I remember was getting attacked."

"Annie saved your life," Jean explained. "She threw a knife right into the guy's head."

It was slowly coming back to him. He remembered a knife lodged in the scumbag's skull, and someone with blonde hair shouting his name. He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Wait, how did Annie even get there if she wasn't on our team?"

"Armin shot a flare after Eren and Jean retrieved the 3DM Gear," he replied. "It didn't take long for the other team to meet up with us."

"And the other kidnappers?"

"They were arrested by the Military Police," Krista answered. "They're not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I gotta say, Dillon," Ymir said, smirking. "Taking on four kidnappers alone to save Krista was pretty badass." She wrapped her arm around Krista protectively. "Just remember that she's already taken."

Dillon rolled his eyes in annoyance. Some things never change. "I got the message the first time, Ymir."

Krista gave Dillon an apologetic look before asking, "Can you two give us a minute please?"

Jean nodded. "Shadis is waiting on my report on what happened out there anyways. See you later, Dillon."

"See you, Jean," Dillon said.

When Jean exited the room, Ymir did something no one expected. She limped over to Dillon's side and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Dillon stared at her in shock, his face turning red. Did that just happen? "Uh…anytime?"

Continue to smirk, Ymir left the room as well, putting a finger to her lips. Clearly, she didn't anyone to know she was capable of being nice to people outside of Krista. _Whatever._

With everyone else gone, Krista sat at the end of his bed. "So, care to tell me what you did to those men?"

Dillon knew this was coming, and he still tried to deny it. "Krista, I have no idea-."

"Please don't lie to me," she requested. "I understand if you're scared I'm going to tell someone, but I promise you that I won't."

The blacksmith gestured for her to come closer. Slightly confused, she walked over to his side as he grasped her hand tightly. He wanted to make sure she understood the severity of the situation. "Krista, I want you to swear to me right now that what I'm about to reveal to you will never be spoken to anyone unless I say so. Do you swear it?"

Slowly, she nodded her head. "I swear not to tell anyone, Dillon."

Satisfied, Dillon said, "What you saw in the carriage was real, Krista. I attacked their minds with my powers to distract them long enough to win."

Krista's eyes widened in astonishment. "How is that possible?"

"I have no idea," he confessed. "My dad has the same abilities, but he doesn't know where they came from either. I can remember anything I've ever seen or heard if I can concentrate, I can read minds, and I can attack them. There's probably more, but I haven't figured it all out yet."

Slowly, she processed the information, but then an unfortunate implication came to mind. "Dillon, have you been using your powers on any of us?"

His eyes widened in horror. "What? No! I would never do anything so stupid!"

"Then how did you know about what happened to Eren's mom?" Krista pressed. "I could tell you were lying to him about it."

 _Oh, right._ "In order to function like a regular human being, I had to establish mental blocks on my mind. Without them, I can hear everyone's general thoughts come at me at the same time. It's overwhelming to the point of painful when that happens. Unfortunately, as I grow, so do my powers, and they tend to break down the blocks once every year lately."

A distant memory came to her. "That day Mikasa attacked you…"

"It was the same day that was happening to me," he confirmed. "Eren's mind seems to dwell on one thing: his mom's death. Without the blocks, I could see the memory clear as day. It was…disturbing to say the least."

"I can only imagine." Krista gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Dillon. Your secret's safe with me." Then, she kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you for saving my life."

On the outside, aside from the intense blushing, Dillon kept his cool. "No problem, Krista." On the inside… _Oh, my gosh! I got kissed by two girls today! This is amazing! There's hope for me after all!_

"I'll go let Annie know you're awake," she promised. "Just to let you know, she stood by your side until we got you into the infirmary."

She winked at him before leaving.

 _Why did she wink at me?_ He wondered. _Oh, well. At least I can thank Annie for saving my life soon._

* * *

(One week later)

 _Whoever came up with the definition of boredom was probably in this exact situation._ Dillon inferred, glaring up at the ceiling in annoyance.

Over the past one week, he had spent his time staying in this exact room, sleeping in this exact bed, and staring at the exact same four walls. Granted, moments where he had to relieve himself were always welcome, but those moments were few each day. He kept having to take things slow and steady. However, all that was changing when the doctors announced that if he passed one of their examinations, he would be discharged and be able to return to his fellow comrades.

However, what was bothering him the most was that Annie hadn't come to visit in all this time. He received several visitors, including Eren and Mikasa, all wishing him a speedy recovery, but Annie was nowhere to be found. If she saved his life and stayed with him until he reached the infirmary, why was she avoiding him now? Did he do something wrong?

"Dillon, you have a visitor," Dr. What's-Her-Name announced. "Annie Leonhart?"

 _Finally!_ "Thanks, Doctor. You can send her in."

A couple of seconds later, his five-foot savior walked through the door. For some reason, it didn't matter why she didn't come sooner. She was here now, and that was all that mattered.

"There she is," Dillon greeted with a wave and a grin. "How are you, Annie?"

"I'm fine," she answered, approaching his bedside. "How long until you get discharged?"

"Hopefully soon," he guessed, unsure. "I'm getting sick of lying in bed doing nothing."

"Could've been worse," Annie pointed out, her hands by her side. "They could've been preparing your body for funeral arrangements."

"And I have you to thank for that," Dillon said sincerely.

He didn't see it coming. Annie's fist launched right into his cheek, leaving behind a nasty bruise. Despite the pain, Dillon let out a low, "Ow!" to keep the doctors from rushing in.

"What the hell was that for!?" he demanded, sheltering his injury with his hand in case there was another punch in store for him.

Annie, yet again, was glaring at him, though he was spared the evil eye this time. "That was for being a complete dumbass! What the hell were you thinking, going after those criminals alone!?"

"I made a calculated risk!" he explained, still shocked by her actions. "It paid off, didn't it?"

"You dependedon dumb luck to get you through!" Annie shot back, annoyed that he wasn't getting it. "It doesn't matter that it paid off! You can't accomplish missions hoping that something will save you at the last minute! If I had been a second slower, you would've been dead, too! So, let me ask you again: what were you thinking?"

Dillon contemplated his actions that night. He was tempted to let her in on his secret and explain that he was capable of taking on those monsters. He decided to give her half of the truth. "I just wanted to make sure that the only person at risk of injury or death was me."

Wrong answer.

Annie grabbed him by the collar, and jerked him up close to her face. Her low voice indicated he was in serious trouble. "You listen to me and listen carefully. I can't believe you have the audacity to be so selfish!"

"Annie, what-?"

"Don't interrupt me!" she ordered, scaring him into submission. "There are people in your life that depend on you, that care about you. Jean, Connie, Sasha, and Krista are the ones I can think of at the top of my head. What about your parents? Did you think about how they would feel if they found out their son perished trying to take on armed goons alone? No, you didn't! The only one you thought about was yourself!"

Dillon lowered his head as the words sunk in. The excitement of being able to save Krista and live to tell about it changed to the cold, harsh truth. Looking back, he realized how careless and foolish he was. The disappointment on her face made it worse for him.

"Look at me, Dillon," Annie said, albeit with less of a commanding tone. Once his eyes were back on hers, she decided to wrap things up. "Next time, I might not be there to save you. Don't pull a stunt like that again."

Finally, she released her grip on Dillon before heading towards the door.

"Annie!" he called before it was too late.

She stopped and looked back. "What?"

"You're right," he admitted sadly. "I was reckless...and stupid. The only reason I'm alive is because of you. I'm sorry."

 _Ah, screw it._ The blond-haired girl sighed, walking back to him. "Dillon, just keep in mind that your life is valuable to a lot of people. Next time, use your head and think things through." She frowned when she noticed the purple blotch she left him. "I think I went too far."

"That we can agree on," Dillon responded, feeling the sting. He had a feeling the reason she waited this long was so she could punch him without making his concussion worse. "Damn, that hurt. What are you, made of steel or something?"

She shrugged. "Something."

"Still, it takes a good friend to point out when I screwed up badly, so thank you for that."

Annie's eyebrow raised in confusion. "Friend?"

Dillon nodded slowly. "Yes, friend. A person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection-."

"I know what a friend is, smartass!" she interjected, annoyed yet again. "I just…really?"

"Well, why not?" he asked. "I mean, we respect each other, we talk to each other in a pleasant way…occasionally, and you saved my life. I'd say that qualifies for us to be friends."

"Do you really want someone like me to be your friend, Dillon?" she questioned.

"I think you'd be a very good one," Dillon answered honestly.

Annie thought about it for a moment, wondering how she got to this point. She could just say no and walk away, and yet, she felt something inside telling her to go for it. After all, she could have worse friends. "Don't expect any "Get Well Soon" notes from me."

He chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it, Annie."

Annie walked back to the door, but ended the conversation with, "See you soon, Dillon," before leaving. Once she was away from the eyes and ears of the infirmary, she facepalmed repeatedly.

"You idiot!" she exclaimed to herself. "What is wrong with you? Why did you agree to be his friend? It's not like you-!" Her eyes widened in horror as the reality of the situation hit her. "I…care about him."

Not. Good.

* * *

 **AN: Two things I hoped were accomplished in this chapter: I hope you guys won't consider Dillon a Mary Sue anymore if guys had that on your mind, and I hope the relationship between him and Annie is still realistic.**

 **As always, read and review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Sorry for the delay. School's been a beast. Here's something I'm gonna do every now and then: song cues. The way this works is that when you see a number like this (1*), you play the song listed in the AN next to the number. When you see that same number again, stop the music. Special thanks to St33lStrif3 for co-writing the first scene with me.**

 **Mr. Hans Kung Fu from The Karate Kid Soundtrack**

* * *

Chapter 7: The First Confession

 _"It was 850. Graduation was drawing near. I was not the same boy that stepped into the Training Corps all those years ago. Now, I'm stronger, smarter, and a soldier. Whether or not I made it into the Top 10 was irrelevant, though becoming an MP to help take down the corrupted sons of bitches in the Military Police was a nice prospect. Then again, my chances of getting into the Top 10 were very slim. I didn't know everyone in the 104_ _th_ _. For all I knew, there were 10 other people that were as strong as Mikasa Ackerman. I knew she was going to make it in. We all did._

 _"I have many memories that I have yet to jot down. I could talk about how I took on Jean and Connie at the same time and they beat me out of sheer dumb luck. I could also bring up the most embarrassing moment during these three years: being given The Talk. Those were images that I did not need in my head. However, one memory stands out as being the one that, in my opinion, changed everything._

" _It was my birthday. I had turned sixteen, and I had the craziest dream that night, so sleeping well didn't happen. I stumbled into the mess hall with dark circles in my eyes…"_

* * *

Dillon rubbed his eyes, trying to ward off his sleepiness. What he'd give just to take the day off. He didn't realize he was mindlessly wandering around until he bumped into Marco. "Oh! Sorry, Marco."

"It's fine, Dillon." Marco said, although he looked concerned. "You don't look too good. Did you sleep at all last night?"

He answered with an open-mouthed yawn. "I did, but the dream I had last night wore me out."

"So, you're tired? But you still have-" Marco was cut off promptly.

"What!?" Came a yell from behind him. All of a sudden, he was turned around and face to face with a worried Sasha. "What do you mean you're tired?! Your rematch is today! You can't be tired!"

"What re-OH, SHIT!" Dillon swore, his eyes bulging out. "It's today!?"

"Yes, you idiot!" Sasha said, shaking him. "Oh, God…we need to get you coffee now! Hold on, let me go see if I can steal some!"

Once again, Dillon found himself cursing his stupidity. He promised Annie that today would be the day he defeated her in a sparring match. Naturally, word got passed around, and now everyone was looking forward to watching the two fight again. Heck, Jean even started a betting pool…secretly of course. No need to get the always-so-pleasant Shadis involved in any illegal activities.

Marco shook his head as Sasha ran off. "Dillon, I know how much this means to you, but you can still walk away. There is time. And despite what some people say, knowing when to stop shows wisdom just as much as being able to win the fight."

"Normally, I would agree with you," Dillon replied with a sigh, "but this is Annie we're talking about. She treats any sparring session as if she was actually fighting someone no matter the circumstances. If I back down now due to fatigue, any respect I have from her will vanish."

"Do you really believe that, Dillon?" Marco asked, moving beside him and putting his arm on his shoulder. "Annie likes you, Dillon. And I mean, _likes_ you. If you just explain the situation to her, she'll understand. I know she will."

Dillon gave him a look of astonishment. "Wait, what did you say?"

"What, that she'll understand?" Marco asked, confused. "You honestly don't think she will?"

"No, before that!"

"That you believe she'll lose respect for you?"

Either Marco was playing dumb or seriously not getting the point. Whatever the case, it irritated Dillon. "Did you say Annie seriously likes me?"

"Well, yeah," he answered with a shrug. "Everyone knows that, much as she tries to hide it. I thought you did, too."

The blacksmith frowned as he thought about their interactions over the past two years. They were friendly, she was opening up a little more, and they seemed to get along fine together. In fact, it was like she was…enjoying…his…

A grin broke out on Dillon's face. "Oh. My. God. She likes me!"

Marco chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "You are staring down the barrel of her kicking your ass, and that's your reaction?"

"This is my chance, Marco!" Dillon exclaimed after he made sure the girl in question wasn't around. "If I defeat Annie, it will not only increase her respect for me, but it shows that I can handle myself against a trained opponent. It will prove that I'm worthy of her affections!"

Marco put one hand to his face, groaning. "Dillon, that attitude is going to get you killed. You don't _need_ to prove yourself worthy of her affections."

"Nonsense," he assured. "We're using fake knifes. I'll live."

"No, that's not what I-"

"Dillon!" Sasha shouted, coming running up to the duo, carrying a cup covered in a saucer. "Here! I got this coffee from Shadis! Don't ask me how!"

He wisely accepted her generous offer and gulped it down. He almost spat it back out as he felt his throat light on fire. What kind of person puts himself through a torturous drink to stay awake? Swallowing the bitter taste, he said in a raspy voice, "Well…that was something."

"He might have spiked it, I honestly don't know." She then muttered under her breath. "I don't even know why he gave it to me..."

* * *

 _"Commandant Shadis!" Sasha said as she walked into his office and saluted. "I am sorry to interrupt your morning, sir, but it is a matter of life and death!"_

 _She shrank back under his icy glare. "It better be nothing less than that, Cadet. Speak quickly!"_

 _She gulped and stood up straight. "Cadet Amsdale is challenging Cadet Leonhart to one last hand to hand fight! However, due to a dream last night, he is fatigued and irrational!"_

 _Shadis closed the distance between them fast and spoke in a dangerous, low tone. "You'd better pray there's more to this story, Braus."_

 _"If he does not receive a wake up soon, sir, he will surely suffer broken bones from this all too real fight, which may result in him being unable to graduate, sir!" she screamed, her voice high in fear. "His father is a government contracted blacksmith and his mother is a DA in the center wall, sir! It would not end well for anyone involved!"_

 _Shadis's first instinct was to start choking the life out of the cadet for blackmail, but as he processed the words through his mind, it began to make sense. Unbeknownst to him, Amsdale was going to be in the Top 10. If he suffered a critical injury because he wasn't paying attention to Leonhart not holding back, there would be repercussions. Originally, he wasn't all too concerned with the sparring match, but now..._

 _"You're smarter than you let on, Braus," Shadis complemented. "Where was your brain all this time?"_

 _"Stuck up my ass along with my head, sir!" Sasha replied. "My only request is that Cadet Amsdale be given a single cup of coffee to try and wake himself the hell up, sir!"_

 _"Face the wall, Braus!" the commander ordered._

 _"Yes, sir!" She yelled, turning on her heel and facing the wall, standing at attention_

 _Shadis pulled out a key from inside a plant and unlocked a drawer in his desk. He pulled out a packet of coffee powder before closing the drawer, locking it tightly. Once the key was back in its hiding spot, he tossed the packet to Sasha. "Take it and leave, Braus!"_

 _Sasha picked up the coffee packet off the ground and gave him one more salute. "Yes, sir!" She shouted, turning and running out the door._

* * *

"Regardless! You _need_ to have it! Otherwise you are screwed in this fight!"

With a disgusted look, Dillon downed the last of the drink. To its credit, the coffee DID make him feel more energized. "Well, it's doing its job. Thanks, Sasha." As he handed her back the now-empty cup, he said, "You know, you were in my really weird dream last night."

She blinked. "I hope you don't mean what I think you do by 'weird'. I don't want Annie using those knives of hers on my throat."

"Not like that!" Dillon took a deep breath and began his tale, getting more rapid and energetic as the story went on. "So, what happened was you and Jean got into a fight over something stupid. I can't remember what it was about, though, but then Commander Pixis ordered you two to settle your differences with a cooking competition. You killed a giant boar with a bow and arrow for its meat, Jean was a complete asshole to his mom, but then he created an omelet to fight against your boar meat. Then Jean, Mikasa, Armin, Connie, and Krista transformed into Titans and Jean won the cooking match!"

Marco and Sasha just looked at him. "Oh, my God," Sasha said, putting her hands to her head in panic. "Shadis _did_ spike the coffee! He's gone insane!"

If Dillon's stupid grin was anything to go by, the caffeine was kicking in. "If by insane, you mean ready to kick Annie's ass in an epic duel that will have me as the victor, then I _am_ insane!"

"You sure sound confident," came a voice from behind him. Marco and Sasha both froze and promptly ran away. Annie walked around to the front of him. "If you couldn't win before, why do you think you can win now?"

He began listing out the reasons with his fingers. "Let's see: I've been training for this moment ever since I lost, I'm not gonna screw up this time, and coffee."

She raised an eyebrow at the last one. "Coffee? You expect me to believe that? Cadets don't get coffee during training."

"Shh! It's a secret for some reason!"

Annie shook her head. "You're going to lose this, Amsdale. I don't know why you think otherwise."

"Because I'm not gonna hold back," Dillon answered, crossing his arms. "Last time, I underestimated you, but not today."

"Right…well, I'll try to remember that when I dislocate your shoulder."

He smirked. "Think you can reach it from down there?"

She gave him one of her patented glares. "Say that again, and I won't even wait for breakfast to be done."

Dillon's eyes widened when he remembered something important. "Oh, crap. I didn't have breakfast yet!"

"You're right. I did, though." She moved around him and patted him on the back roughly. "Eat up. Don't want you at a disadvantage."

"Aw, you do care!"

Annie rolled her eyes, scoffing. "Just eat."

As Dillon went off to get his meal, he paused as horror etched on his face. He just made fun of Annie's height before their match…again! Forget trying to win her affections! By the time she was through with him, he would be sent home in a box. _FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!_

* * *

After breakfast, they had leisure time due to it being Sunday. But instead of relaxing, everyone had gathered in the training yard in order to watch the two go at it.

Nervously, Dillon did a few stretches. The coffee wore off several minutes ago, and he was already preparing a five-minute apology speech for his behavior to Annie, who was currently eying him like a hawk. He hoped that she wouldn't make him suffer too much. Taking a breath, Annie walked towards the center and put her arms up in her usual stance. She wanted to get this over with, preferably without killing him, but at the same time making him hurt for the joke about her height earlier.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it, Cold Eyes?" Dillon asked as he tossed the fake knife up and down. _Yeah, that name will never catch on._

She didn't reply, hardening her gaze as she prepared herself for his charge.

At the same time, the audience were chatting amongst themselves about who would be the winner.

"No offense to Dillon, but I think Annie is gonna beat him," Mina predicted. "She's too good."

"Yeah, but Dillon is a good fighter as well." Jean replied. "He taught Connie and I both."

"Except Annie has the best footwork I've ever seen," Eren pointed out. "Trust me. I've been on the receiving end of it every time she trained me."

"It's an even match," Mikasa commented. "It could go either way."

"Bullshit!" Connie said. "He can kick her ass from here to Utopia!"

"I'd like to hear you say that to Annie's face, dumbass," Ymir muttered.

"Don't be rude," Krista scolded.

Gulping, Dillon stepped into the ring, knife at the ready. This was the moment that would change everything. Either he lost and Annie would view him as she did before: a pathetic nuisance, or he won and earn more of Annie's respect. Like Mikasa said, it could go either way. Unfortunately, his mind started to wander to the worst-case scenario where he was on the ground, battered and broken, with Annie staring down at him with disappointment. _"I thought you were better than this!"_

"I'm not pathetic," he stated suddenly.

This caught her off guard, causing her guard to drop slightly. "What do you mean, you're not pathetic? Who said you were?"

Wait, did he say that out loud? Dillon's guard dropped slightly as he realized there was no going back. "Annie, if I lose, I'm gonna lose…your respect."

There was no response until she chuckled. "Is that really what you think?" she questioned. "You _deserve_ this beating, if that's the case."

Dillon gave her a confused look. "What?"

"Dillon, you're one of the smartest people here, but, bright as you are, apparently, you aren't as perceptive as I thought."

"Then would you please tell me what I'm missing?" he asked.

"If you're too thick to see it, I'll just have to pound it in," Annie said, retaking her stance.

 _All right, Annie._ He thought to himself, getting ready to attack. _Let's rumble._

 **1*** Dillon made the first move, aiming for her neck. Surprised by his speed, Annie was forced to back from his slashes and jabs. He was aiming to end the fight quickly. Once he got close enough, she grabbed his wrist and tried to sweep him off his feet with her leg. Prepared for that, Dillon jumped over it, trying to stab her. They wrestled with the knife, with Annie pounding his side with her fist. He got out of her grasp by punching her in the face, making her stagger back.

"Let's make this more interesting," Dillon said. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed the knife to the side.

She smirked. "I see what's going on."

"You still have to get the knife," he reminded her, getting into his unarmed combat stance. _Finally! I've been waiting to do this. My knife work sucks, but without it…I'm free!_

Annie charged at him, throwing several punches and kicks at him, though it was mostly kicks. Dillon block each one, stepping backwards. He knew he couldn't let Annie get the knife, but if kept moving back, that's exactly what was going to happen. So, to rectify that, he grabbed her by the shoulders and kneed her in the gut. Then, he shoved her back and spun around, his foot crashing against the side of her head. Now he was in front of the knife.

As Annie got back to her feet, Dillon was already on her, throwing several quick, precise jabs at her. It was like fighting a completely different opponent. Any preconceived notions she had about him vanished as she actually struggled to stay on the defensive. She ducked under another spin kick and she kicked him right in the chest. Now, she was on the offensive. Quickly, she tried aiming for his shins, but he was blocking each blow. And he was smirking too. With a growl, Annie finally landed a punch on his face, making him stagger back. She grabbed him by the wrist and performed a successful leg sweep. What she didn't count on was him rolling backwards, wrapping his legs around her neck, and pulling her down to the ground with him. He kicked her away before she could try anything else and got to his feet. However, his smirk vanished the moment he saw her pick up the knife.

"Whoops," he said sheepishly.

'"Whoops' indeed," Annie replied with an evil smirk.

Naturally, the blond-haired girl was the first one to charge, slashing at him. He was barely able to block the knife from hitting anything by targeting her wrist. She almost got him, but he managed to get behind her and wrap his arms around her waist. With a loud yell, Dillon lifted Annie up in the air and bent backwards, slamming her hard into the ground. Dazed, Annie lost her grip on her knife, which the blacksmith promptly snatched up. By the time she was back on her feet, she felt the wooden blade slice her throat in a quick movement. It was over! ***1**

Annie was panting, eyes wide as she realized that he had defeated her. Instead of disappointment, as most were expecting, she gave a small smile to Dillon. "Consider it a reward for your victory," she whispered to him.

The 104th spectators applauded, even the ones that bet on Annie.

"That was awesome!" Connie exclaimed.

"He's…really good," Eren admitted.

That smile alone made the entire fight worth it. "Good fight, Annie. I think it doubles as your birthday gift to me, too."

"If I had known, I'd have gotten you flowers," she teased.

"Flowers aren't my thing," Dillon chuckled, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Will you two get a room already?" Ymir interrupted, looking miffed.

If Jean's smirk was anything to go by, she lost the bet.

Annie's smile dropped as she blushed, clearing her throat. "Good job, Cadet Amsdale. It is nice to see one person took it seriously."

Suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. "I wouldn't have lost your respect if I lost because I take this seriously. Is that it?"

She rolled her eyes. "It took you long enough, Dillon. Do all blacksmiths have hard heads? Or are you just especially thick?"

He shrugged. "Take your pick."

"I think the second is more applicable." she said, walking past him.

"You always know what to say, don't you, Annie?" Dillon joked.

"I'm smarter than you. Of course I do."

Dillon couldn't help but appreciate the way she swayed her hips as she walked away. Wait, when did she ever do that?

Jean wrapped his arm around him. "You, my friend, are getting a birthday celebration tonight."

"Um…okay?"

* * *

(That night)

The party at the mess hall was about the same as any gathering, except when the blacksmith arrived, they all toasted to his victory and for turning sixteen. Naturally, he faded into the crowd after a while. Even after thirty minutes, the subject of the conversation was still on Dillon and Annie.

"I can't believe how incredible Dillon is at fighting," Mina commented.

"He took on Annie and not only lived, but beat her," Samuel added.

Ymir scoffed. "Please. Blond, short, and cold was pulling her punches. The two clearly rigged the whole thing."

"Better not let Annie catch you saying that," Connie stated with a smirk.

"Watch it, Springer," she warned.

Eren sighed. "All this fuss about a fight. Okay, we get it. He's a good fighter. Move on."

"Don't let him get you down," Mikasa advised. "It'll pass."

He snorted, sipping his mug of water. "Let's hope so. If I have to hear about how great Dillon is after today, it'll be too soon."

Sasha and Krista, on the other hand, were having a different conversation.

"So you risked bodily harm just to get her birthdate?" Krista asked.

"It was completely worth it," Sasha responded. "The two are made for each other."

"That is so true," she agreed with a smile. "I never thought I'd see the day when Annie Leonhart would fall for someone, but it happened. I thought she was going to end it before it began, but she never did go for it."

"She'd better go for it," Sasha warned. "I did not get busted up just so that the two would never become a thing."

It was then Jean, after bragging about how good Dillon was, realized something. "Hey, anyone see Dillon?"

Marco shook his head. "No, and I don't see Annie either."

A smirk appeared on the brown-haired boy's face. "Someone is about to get lucky tonight."

Marco sighed. "Jean, I doubt either of them would go for something like that. You saw Dillon's face after he walked out after hearing the Talk for the first time."

He chuckled, remembering that incident. "Yeah, you're probably right, Marco. I'll go find him."

* * *

(Outside)

 _I'm gonna do it._ The blacksmith in question thought to himself as he searched for Annie. _I'm gonna tell the truth, that I have mind powers, and that I like her. I'm sure things will be fine, but what if they aren't? What if she rejects me? What if she stabs me in the-no. You are not pulling this stunt tonight. Keep. Calm._

Finally, he spotted her, sitting absentmindedly on the steps of the girls' barracks.

"Hey, there you are!" Dillon greeted, getting her attention. "I didn't see you at the party."

"I don't do parties," Annie responded in her usual monotone. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Firstly, I was missing you," he answered. "Secondly, I wanted to talk to you about something important." He took a seat on the steps, making sure there was enough room for her sit down.

Annie had a huge suspicion about where this conversation was about to go, and she had been dreading it. She cursed herself for not ending it at the start, but she could never find a way to do so…or she wasn't looking hard enough Now, Dillon had provided the best, and worst, opportunity for her, and she was going to take it. But first, a false sense of hope.

She sat down next to him. "What's going on, Dillon?"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "To be honest, Annie, I'm not sure how to tell you this and I'm don't know how you're gonna react."

"Just say it," Annie urged calmly. "Get it over with." She had never seen him this shy.

"Uh, okay," Dillon replied, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Well, um, Annie, we've known each other for almost three years, and, uh, we've been through a lot, haven't we?"

She nodded cautiously. "Yes."

He was fiddling with his fingers as he tried to find to right way to admit the truth. "You see, Annie, I figured that since I trust you and I like you, I want to tell you something."

…

…

"Well?"

He cleared his throat nervously. "Right. Uh, first things first." Finally, he looked and spoke in a serious tone. "Before I say anything, I want you to promise me that you will never tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

Annie was a little taken aback at how different Dillon was acting. She had a feeling that this wasn't a confession of his feelings towards her. This was something else entirely. _Wait a minute…_

 _"Who knows, Leonhart? I just might surprise you!"_

She kept her expression neutral when she answered. "Fine. I promise not to tell anyone, Dillon."

"Thank you," he replied, realizing there was no turning back. "Annie, I have an…ability that I've had since I was a kid. You see…um…" _TAKE THE PLUNGE, YOU MORON!_ "…I have mind powers!" He blurted out that last part before he could stop himself.

Slowly, Annie raised an eyebrow in disbelief as she repeated what he said. "'Mind powers?'"

Dillon nodded quickly, realizing he was about to lose her. "Yes. I know you think I'm crazy, and I don't blame you, but before you write me off as insane-"

 _Too late._

"-I can prove it to you."

It was so tempting to just walk away and leave the crazy teen to his own delusions, but Annie was curious to see if he _could_ prove it. "Okay, Dillon. I'll humor you, but if you waste my time, I will kick you so hard, you're gonna lose some teeth."

Dillon's anxiety increased when he could tell she wasn't kidding. _Wait, why am_ I _nervous? I know I'm not lying!_ Deciding to grow a backbone, he began to speak in a confident tone. "I want you to think of four random numbers. I want them to be so random that it would be impossible for me to guess. Tell me when you're ready."

It only took her a few seconds before she said, "Done."

"Just to warn you, you might feel something…weird in your head," he told her, looking at her intently.

Annie stared right back at him, wondering what he was going to do, and then his eyes glowed briefly. She wanted to lean away, but something kept her from doing so. It was as if she was locked in this position. Suddenly, she felt something tap her head from the inside.

"17," he said.

Another flash of his eyes and another tap.

"93."

Tap.

"48."

Tap.

"956."

When his eyes died down for the last time, Annie was finally able to break away from his stare via clambering to her feet in shock. "What the hell!?"

"I know it's a lot to take in," Dillon admitted, slowly getting up, "but I'm not your enemy, Annie."

"Stay out of my head!" she demanded while backing up, but then a horrifying thought occurred to her.

Dillon stiffened as he was given the infamous Leonhart Stare. Last time he was given that was when the two first fought almost three years ago. This was not going to end well. "Annie, I know what you're thinking right now." _Real poor choice of words._

"I wonder how long you've been doing that for?" she asked in a sinister tone, approaching him one step at a time.

He needed to pacify her fast, that image of him getting stabbed by her coming to mind. "Until tonight, Annie, I have never read your mind!"

She scoffed in disbelief. "And what makes you think I would believe you?"

"Remember that sensation you felt in your head?" Dillon questioned. "The tapping? That's how you would know if I was trying to get something from your mind whether you knew it or not. A memory, a passing thought, things like that. If I was being aggressive about it, it would be far more painful than a tap."

She crossed her arms, still unconvinced. "How do I know you're not lying?"

Carefully, Dillon approached her, hands raised in surrender to show he wasn't gonna try anything. "All I can tell you is that I never invaded your privacy like that. Whether you believe it or not…" He sighed, a little downcast at how things were spiraling down. "…I can't do anything about that."

For a while, Annie looked at him, trying to decide if what he was saying was true. He was right about one thing: he couldn't prove it to her. This was a choice she had to make on her own. She thought about the interactions they had and how he just wanted to get to know her a little better each time.

She massaged her forehead, getting a headache from all this new information, though another thought came to mind. "This is how you were able to take on those kidnappers."

"That, and my skills as a fighter," he added, trying not to brag. His next statement helped. "I got cocky, and I almost died if you didn't save me. It was a much-needed reality check."

"Does anyone else know?" Annie wondered curiously.

"Only Krista," Dillon told her. "I made her vow not to say a word to anyone, too."

The blond-haired girl sighed, coming to a decision. "I'm going to trust that you haven't done anything to invade my mind." She held up her hand to stop him from saying anything. "But, there is one thing I need to know: why did you tell me this?"

Once again, his anxiety came back for revenge. "Um…because…" _Come on, Dillon. Man up and say it!_ "…I really like you, Annie!" Dillon blurted out suddenly.

She widened her eyes in surprise. "What?"

 _Calm down, Dillon._ He composed himself properly before explaining himself. "Annie, I think you are an amazing girl, and you've helped me get better while I've been here. You are also beautiful, and when you smile…it makes you even more beautiful."

Blushing, she turned away, fiddling with her hair a bit. "I'm not that beautiful."

"Yes, you are," Dillon assured. "I wish you saw what I see right now."

 _So do I._ Annie willed herself to look at Dillon, finding it harder and harder to do what she needed to do. "Dillon…stop. We can't do this."

His face fell a bit, but he wasn't about to give up just yet. "Why, Annie?"

She sighed, her expression morphing to one he hadn't seen on her before: sadness. "Dillon, I'm not good for you. I'm not someone you should like, let alone love."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" he asked calmly.

 _Please walk away!_ "I'm only going to hurt you!" she protested.

"If you don't _want_ to hurt me, I can roll with the punches," he replied. "Heck, the only time you've hurt me intentionally was when you slugged me in the infirmary." His eyes widened when he realized what was wrong with her. "Annie…why are you so afraid?"

The walls around her heart were being chipped away by the second. Dillon was getting a glimpse at the real Annie Leonhart: someone who was afraid to get close to anyone. He had no idea why, but he had to venture this guess.

"Do you think… _I_ would hurt you?"

Annie shook her head, turning away from him. She didn't want him to see her turmoil anymore. "There are things about me that you don't know, Dillon. Things that I've done that I'm not proud of. I can never tell you what I'm hiding because when you find out, you will hate me for the rest of your life and I won't blame you for it." She tuned back around, her eyes glistening with tears. "So, please, save yourself from me."

Slowly, Dillon approached her with that caring expression on his face and placed his hands on her shoulders. He wanted her to feel his sincerity. "Annie, I am going to promise you two things right now. First, I will never force you to reveal your secrets to me, with or without my powers. It is up to you to tell them to me on your own terms. Second, when that day comes, when you decide to tell me the truth, I can't say I won't be mad at you if your secrets are as bad as you say they are…but I won't leave you. I will be there for you despite them and we'll take it one day at a time. Do you believe me when I say that?"

 _Stop doing this!_ Annie pleaded inwardly. _Stop being…you!_ "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I'm gonna do my damndest to keep them," he said.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Annie looked up at those brown orbs that stared down at her with compassion. She felt inferior to Dillon in ways he could not comprehend. She couldn't believe that out of all the girls in the Training Corps, she was chosen to be his special somebody. On his end, Dillon was lost in her beautiful eyes. It was like looking at the sky, except it paled in comparison to her. He knew she wasn't perfect, and neither was he, for that matter, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was be there for her and be _with_ her.

He didn't realize they were leaning in until their lips met.

The two felt a surge of energy within their bodies as if their own bodies were approving of their first intimate moment together. There was a rush a warmness that flowed through them that made it all feel so…right. There was truly no way to fully describe their very first kiss, but, needless to say, it was something they both enjoyed.

Dillon was the first to pull away, blushing furiously. "So…did I do okay?"

Annie chuckled, which helped her own blush start to disappear. There was a word to describe him right now: dork. "Yes, Dillon. It was a good kiss." With a sigh, she decided to throw caution to the wind. "All right. Let's do this and see where it goes."

The blacksmith wanted nothing more than to do a happy dance right then and there, but that might be a little too much. A grin, however, broke out on his face as he realized Annie Leonhart was officially his girlfriend. "This is gonna be great!" He embraced her, taking her by surprise. "Thank you so much, Annie!"

"Easy there, Dillon," she responded, hugging him back. It was like he received the greatest gift in the world. Then again, he probably thought he did. When he ended it, she could tell he wanted something from her. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. "You want to kiss me again, don't you?"

"If that's okay?"

If there was any evidence to prove Dillon had never been in a relationship with another girl, this was it. The kid who could take on four adults was shy about wanting to kiss his newly-established girlfriend. It was hilarious, and kind of adorable. He'd have to work on that.

"Don't ask," Annie advised. "Just do it."

Before he could respond, she initiated their second kiss. Judging by the looks on their faces, they were really enjoying this.

"Hey, Dillon, there you—huh!?"

The two pulled away from each other and looked at the person who dared interrupt this moment. Of course, it had to be Jean, who looked completely dumbfounded at the sight he stumbled into.

"Umm…" The brown-haired intruder scratched the back of his head nervously due to the glares he was getting. "…I'm gonna go somewhere else and leave you two alone."

"No, stay!" Annie offered, pulling out her boot knife with an evil grin. "In fact, this would be a good time to get to know you better, Jean."

Never in their lives did they see a human disappear out of sight so quickly.

 _I definitely chose right!_ Dillon thought before he busted out with laughter. In a few seconds, Annie soon followed, though hers was less vocal than his.

That morning, they started out as friends, and now, for better or for worse, they ended their day as a couple.

* * *

 **AN: At long last, the two have been officially paired. I hope the progression was realistic for everyone. Please review and favorite. I enjoy reading those.**

 **Also, regarding Dillon's dream: that is my headcanon regarding that particular OVA. It was just one, really weird dream.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: 30 reviews so far, with one guest review pending. That's awesome. Have a chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Graduation Day

" _News about Annie and I being a couple was met with surprise by very few people. Marco was right. The Corps knew about our feelings for each other. Per Annie, Krista was outright cheering when she found out. On my end, I was being congratulated by everyone, except Eren and Mikasa, of course, but I couldn't care less about those two. I didn't come here to impress them. I don't think I ever will._

" _Over the next few months, Annie was becoming a little more friendlier and was smiling a little more often. People were asking how the hell I managed to pull a feat like that off, but I simply answered that I cared a lot about her. Out of all the cadets she had come to know, it seemed her best relationships outside of mine were with Eren and Armin. Eren, because they had a student-teacher thing going on, and Armin because he was smart. I didn't get jealous because I know Annie. She would never abandon me for someone else._

" _Finally, the three years of hell ended. On the day of graduation, it was over. The Top 10 list was revealed, too…and I was on it."_

* * *

"Number 5," Dillon said, staring at the chart. "Beaten by Annie, Bertholdt, Reiner, and Mikasa. I can live with that."

Everyone was talking about this moment. Lowest to highest, this was the Top 10: Sasha Braus, Connie Springer, Marco Bodt, Jean Kirstein, Eren Yeager, Dillon Amsdale, Annie Leonhart, Bertholdt Hoover, Reiner Braun, and, to no one's surprise, Mikasa Ackerman. And, as usual, she was barely fazed by it. Lots of people were extremely disappointed that they didn't make it, but it was what it was and there were no second tries.

Looking around, he noticed that Annie wasn't around. Knowing her, she probably came by earlier, saw where she was placed, and left. Moving passed the people that congratulated him, he remembered a spot just outside the compound where Annie and he spent some time. They even brought a bench over so they didn't have to keep sitting on the ground. Sure enough, he found her sitting there contemplating things.

"Is this seat taken?" Dillon asked with a stupid grin.

Annie rolled her eyes, but she moved to her left to give him enough room.

"Thank you," he replied, sitting down. "You know, now that I look at you, you remind me of someone I know."

"Your imaginary girlfriend?" she questioned.

"She's more of the real kind," he replied, sipping his water. "She kind of looks like you. Blond, blue eyes, good-looking body, and a really good woman."

"Sounds like a total skank," she commented. "So, what does that say about you?"

"Don't let her hear you call her a skank," he warned. "She could kick your ass faster than you can say, 'Whoops.'"

"Fine. She's not a skank. She's just a bitch."

 _Choose your words_ very _carefully._ "...Depends on how she's feeling. She can be a bit cold, but you know why I like her so much? She challenged my convictions and helped me become a better man. I gave her something I've never given anyone here: my complete trust. She's one of a kind and I'm lucky to have her in my life." He took a sip for that declaration.

If Dillon was paying attention, he would've noticed Annie flinch slightly before forcing a smile. "Glad to hear it"

He returned the smile. "So…number 4. How does that make you feel?"

"Like you should have tried harder," she answered bluntly.

And just like that, the smile was gone. "What?"

"Dillon…you could have done better than anyone, especially with your abilities," Annie pointed out seriously. "Why didn't you?"

Dillon looked around to make sure no one was nearby before giving his answer. "For one, I can't exactly attack the mind of a piece of wood."

"No, but you could have read the minds of me, Reiner, Mikasa. Gotten our skills."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure what I've told you in the past few months, but I know I didn't list that as one of my abilities. That's not how my powers work."

"Okay, fair enough," she conceded, "but can't you use telekinesis?"

"…I'm not very good at it." His eyes flashed and a small rock lifted into the air. It lasted for ten seconds before it started shaking and fell back to the ground. Dillon massaged his head as he felt a strong headache come on. "Ow."

"Well, what about your blocks? Can't you remove them? Increase your power?"

"Doing so would be very risky at this point. If something goes wrong, it will hurt me more than help me. I was thinking of doing it with my dad once I graduate. It'd be stupid of me to do it alone. I've got four right now. Maybe I can remove one more block from my head."

"Look, Dillon, if you're going to fighting Titans, you need to go all out," Annie stated.

 _And here we go._ "…I'm not gonna be joining the Scouts, Annie."

"Garrison, then. Either way."

"Actually…I was going to join the Military Police," Dillon said.

She looked at him in surprise. "Why? I thought the Inner Wall was dangerous for you."

"The Inner Wall is dangerous for a lot of people, Annie," he explained. "That's why I'm going. I want to make the world inside the Walls safer, especially when it comes to the MPs. Lots of corruption to weed out."

"But Dillon, you'll be a target," Annie protested. She remembered him mentioning how many MPs his mom helped put away and how much the MPs hated the Amsdale family because of it.

He frowned a bit, realizing something. "And if I go, you'll be a target too."

"Wasn't even thinking about that, but…yeah," she agreed.

He sighed. "Damn it. I want to be with you, Annie."

"And I want you with me."

"So, maybe it shouldn't matter. If we're targets, then that makes our jobs easier. With my powers and your skills, they won't stand a chance."

She sighed, massaging her temple. "Dillon, we can't just join up and fight everyone."

"Wouldn't I be doing the same if I joined the Scouts?" he asked. "Instead of fighting Titans, I'm fighting humans."

"At least Titans can't get in the Walls," she growled, looking over at him. "Are you that naïve?"

Dillon wanted to point out that Titans already got in the Walls thanks to the Colossal and Armored Titans, but he resisted the urge. "Annie, I want to help people. Shouldn't you be happy that I'm trying to stay alive so that you and I can actually make this work?"

"Trying to stay alive by vowing to ultimately try and destroy the ruling body? That makes sense," she spat sarcastically.

He refused to get angry and settled on a calmer approach. "Annie, have you ever been to the Interior?"

"No, I haven't," Annie responded, wondering where he was going with this.

"I've spent my entire life there save for the past three years. I've seen MPs do horrible things. Assault people for looking at them funny, make shady business deals, knowing that no one is gonna call them out on it, and if any of the cases Mom told me about are anything to go by, they think they can do anything they want and get away with it." He clenched his fist. "People are suffering here, Annie. Even if we take out the Titans, we would still have to deal with a poisonous branch of the Military, and unless people take a stand against it, it's going to remain poisoned."

Annie couldn't help but be a little impressed with the fact he was thinking about the bigger picture. That said…"You think one man can do that on his own?" she asked

"No…but I won't be on my own," he informed her.

"And who's going to support you?"

"My mom and Jean," he listed out instantly. He didn't list her because of that question. His instincts turned out to be right.

"Not me," she said quietly. "I love you, Dillon. You know I'd help you out with anything, but this? It's too dangerous."

"You don't have to do anything," he assured. "Once we become MPs, I'm not gonna force you into this."

"Thank you," Annie replied gratefully.

"However, I expect to hear all about how you single-handedly took down an entire drug ring."

She raised an eyebrow. "Beg pardon?"

"Too much?" Dillon asked, trying to think of something else. "Okay, how about a gang of notorious thieves?"

She rolled her eyes, more out of amusement than annoyance.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I can see the headlines now: 'Annie Leonhart, after two weeks undercover, brings down notorious thieves and returns very rare artifacts to the museum.' Then next week: 'Annie Leonhart rises to the rank of Captain for her incredible deeds!'"

Annie turned to him and gave a small smile. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I'm hoping it involves kissing," Dillon answered.

"If you insist."

She leaned in and gave him a nice kiss which the two were enjoying profusely, until...

"There you guys are! I've been looking for you!"

 _Damn his timing._ Dillon thought grimly as the kiss ended abruptly.

Annie glared at Jean. "What?!"

He raised his hands in defense. "Shadis is rounding us all up to practice what's going down in Trost tonight. I didn't want you two to be late."

Dillon sighed. "I forgot we have a dress rehearsal."

"Trost? What's going on in Trost?" Annie questioned. "I thought we had the graduation ceremony."

"Annie...the graduation ceremony _is_ in Trost," Dillon reminded her.

For the first time, the blond-haired girl was lost. "I thought we were having it here at the compound."

"The _dress rehearsal_ is in the compound," Jean explained.

"Oh," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry. Didn't sleep well."

"Jean, we'll catch up in a second," Dillon assured.

Normally, Jean would come back with a crude joke, but considering the company that was before him, he settled for, "Don't take too long," before running off.

"Annie, there's one more thing I want to do," Dillon said.

She looked at him in confusion. "What?"

His eyes flashed, cutting her off. There was a strange sensation inside her mind, as if a part of her was opening. Once his eyes stopped glowing, she still felt it, but it didn't bother her.

" _Can you hear me?"_ he asked without moving his mouth.

" _Y-yes,"_ she stuttered, eyes wide.

" _I established a mind link with you,"_ he explained. _"_ _This can allow us to talk mentally. We can give each other helpful advice during a combat situation, or you can give me answers to a math test."_

" _You could have asked first, Dillon,"_ she rebuked, not used to it. _"It's strange."_

Eyes wide, he quickly shut off the link. "Crap! Annie, I'm so sorry." _Oh, this isn't good. I didn't ask._

"You're fine," Annie assured. "Just…let me know next time, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay…should I reestablish it?"

"Yes," she answered. "I need to get used to it."

Dillon's eyes flashed, and that sensation was back.

" _So…is this a permanent thing?"_ she asked.

" _I can shut it off at any time,"_ he assured. _"Also,_ _I won't be able to hear your thoughts unless you're trying to contact me, and the same goes for me."_

" _So, if I want to shut off the link…?"_

" _Just concentrate on getting rid of it and you can do it too,"_ he replied.

Annie took a deep breath and focused on the feeling, trying her best to shut it out. It took a few seconds, but it was gone. She decided to test it out. _Dillon? Can you hear me?_

"Well? Did it work?" Dillon asked.

"Guess so," she said, deciding to give it one last test. _You're an idiot._

"The downside is that I'm the only one that can reestablish it," he added.

"Can't you keep it open and just give me a switch, or something?" she questioned.

"Uh…I don't know how," he admitted sheepishly.

"Well, ask your dad. It'd be really useful."

"Once we get to the Interior, I'll ask him," he promised. "Shall we head back before Shadis breaks my nose for old time's sake?"

"If he does, just fill his head with thoughts of his mother in a swim suit," Annie suggested.

Instinctively, Dillon started to gag. "Oh, God, I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Don't," she warned. "It's a turn-off."

"There are some things people must never think about," he stated. "That is one of them."

"You'll live," Annie replied in an unsympathetic tone.

"Let's just double time it and avoid the situation altogether."

"Fine by me. Ready, set, go!" she shouted quickly, running ahead of him.

"Hey, no fair!" he protested, giving chase after her.

* * *

(Trost District; Graduation Ceremony)

218\. That was the number of Cadets that were graduating from the 104th Cadet Corps. It was humbling experience for the top 10, who stood in a line in front of everyone else, that they made it despite so many people vying for it. It was honor that they did not want to go to waste.

"Do you have heart!?" some head honcho commander Dillon didn't know the name of questioned.

All the cadets saluted. "YES, SIR!"

"As of this moment, you have three options open to you!" he announced. "Choose wisely! The Garrison Regiment, whose job is to reinforce the walls. The Scout Regiment, who rides out into Titan Country to take back what was once ours. And the MP Regiment maintaining law and order-"

 _Bullcrap._ Dillon thought.

"-under orders from his Royal Majesty! Those cadets eligible for the MP have already been named. The rest of you? Take a look. These are the top of your class!"

Dillon allowed himself a small smile he felt so many eyes upon them. He, like everyone else, worked hard to earn this position. It was a moment he didn't see coming. In fact, many things in his life in the Training Corps he didn't see coming, but it was all behind him. Now, they were truly soldiers for humanity.

Once the ceremony came to an end, the cadets split off into various locations across Trost. They would be taking a week off before they had to choose between the branches. The section Dillon was a part of entered a pub. Naturally, none of them were allowed any alcoholic drinks at the time, so they all settled with water or some type of juice. Dillon was thrilled to find apple juice, a drink he loved since the moment he could drink liquids.

As he downed his fourth cup, he approached Jean, who looked dejected.

"Hey, buddy, why the long face?" Dillon asked, sitting down next to him. "You made it in the Top 10. You should feel proud."

"How in God's name did I get ranked under Eren?" he questioned, downing his drink that he wished was alcoholic.

"It doesn't matter, Jean," he replied. "You beat 208 people. That should cheer you up. I didn't beat Annie, and I'm fine."

Jean would've responded to that, but he noticed something. "What's up with Bertholdt?"

"Come again?" he asked, looking at Bertholdt who quickly glanced away when Dillon's eyes fell on him.

"He's been shooting you dark looks lately," Jean stated.

Dillon sighed. "I've seen it from time to time. I asked Reiner about it, but he wouldn't explain it to me, but I have a feeling it has something to do with Annie."

"Ex-boyfriend?"

"More like ex-crush," he answered. "He never told her how he felt, and he resents me for beating him to the punch. He'll get over it."

"Hopefully."

"Are you insane!?" the loud voice of Thomas exclaimed.

That stopped all conversation as all eyes looked at who Thomas was talking to: Eren.

Realizing that everyone was paying attention, he spoke quieter, but still had that fear. "How many people have died? We're talking a fifth of the population! If that doesn't paint a picture for you, I don't know what will. This is our life now. We can't beat them."

Dillon just shook his head. _Thomas, do you have any idea who you're talking to?_

"Yeah, so what?" Eren growled. "We buckle, take it all lying down? Things have changed. Maybe not a hell of a lot, but enough. They aren't the mystery they were five years ago. There's still a long way to go, but we've made progress. Every battle we lost taught us a lesson, gave us the tiniest inroad towards something like hope. You're telling me it's better to just cut our loses, let all the death and destruction be meaningless!? Just to ball it up and accept it!? Not on your life!" By now, Eren was shouting. "Humanity's future lies just outside the Walls, and I'm gonna clear the way! I'm gonna take back what was ours! I'll drive them out, and if at least one of us can say that, we're not done."

When no one spoke, Eren furiously charged outside, not wanting to be in the pub any longer, with Mikasa and Armin running after him.

 _Where the hell was this guy?_ Dillon wondered with wide eyes. _If he spent more time motivating people instead of swearing to kill all the Titans like a madman, I think we could've gotten along._

Slowly, the cadets returned to their conversations, though it was far more subdued. Dillon didn't say anything for a while, continuing to enjoy his favorite drink. He was surprised that Eren was trying to motivate people. Sure, the whole, 'I'm gonna kill all the Titans' rhetoric snuck in, but it was serious progress. When he saw Annie get up and leave, he followed her outside the pub.

"Quite the speech Eren gave, wasn't it?" Dillon noted as he leaned against the wall. "Didn't think he had it in him."

"I knew he was capable of good things," she replied.

"So, the pupil has impressed the teacher at last," he said. "I know you took him under your wing for a while."

"I saw potential."

"Well, if he keeps this up, it's gonna lead to good things." Dillon pulled out a newspaper and tossed it to her. "Once we get into the MPs, I found our first case. Someone's been smuggling weapons and selling them to the Underground. Could be someone looking to make easy money, or it could be someone trying to start a riot, a gang war, or a revolution. Lots of possibilities."

"Probably just money," Annie figured as she looked it over.

"Well, in a week, we'll find out," he stated with a grin.

She shrugged. "You don't have to come with me, you know."

"I _want_ to," Dillon pointed out, moving closer to her.

"Why, though?" she asked, putting it aside. "I thought you wanted to make a difference."

"Annie, we talked about this already," he reminded her. "Weeding out the corruption in the Military Police is just as important as going out there and killing Titans."

"Is it, though?"

"Annie, why do you want me to not join the MPs so badly?" he questioned. "Wouldn't you rather have a relationship with me where you can see me as opposed to riding out into Titan Territory where the survival rates are low?"

"I'd rather not worry about you getting a knife in your back," she stated, crossing her arms.

"Well, the alternative extreme seems to be inside the stomach of a Titan," he said.

"At least you can cut out of a Titans stomach," Annie pointed out.

Dillon was getting sick of this argument. His attempts to make Annie and himself happy at the same time were failing. He thought it was settled this morning, but clearly, he was wrong. Then, as he thought of it, Annie would probably send most of her time trying to keep Dillon safe like a bodyguard, something that would make her miserable in the long run. He also began to wonder, if Annie wasn't his girlfriend, would he even consider the MPs.

"Would it make you happier if I enlisted in the Scouts?" Dillon finally asked.

"No," she answered bluntly. "The Garrison, preferably."

He scoffed at that suggestion. "And what am I gonna do in the Garrison? Sit around and wait for the Colossal Titan to break down the Wall?"

"At least you'd be safe from the MPs and Titans both."

He groaned, turning away for the moment. "Ugh, I don't know what to do. I don't want to wait for danger to come to me, Annie. I want the chance to fight it on my own terms. I want to use my powers to either stop the corruption or stop the Titans."

"Then stop the Titans," Annie advised. "The corruption isn't the larger threat.

He let out another sigh, not wanting to ask this, but he had to. "Annie…if I join the Scouts…would you break up with me?"

She gave him a shocked look. "What? No!"

"Oh, thank God," he replied in a relieved tone.

"Why would you ever think that?" she demanded, sounding insulted.

"Because…I wanted to do something risky even though you don't want me to," Dillon answered.

"Dillon, I would never break up with you," she assured. "Granted, I might try and kill you, but never break up with you."

"Wait, what?" he questioned, confused.

"Nothing. Just venting."

 _Gee, I wonder why she's venting._ "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Annie shook her head. "You didn't. Trust me."

And the confusion was back in an instant. "Then why did you say you might try and kill me?"

"Because you might catch me at a bad time…? You know, of the month?" she answered lamely.

Dillon tilted his head at her. "Annie, you've been acting really strange today. What's going on?"

"Nothing, Dillon. Just…nervous," she admitted, looking away.

He sat down on some stairs. "Annie, why don't you come here and tell me why you're nervous."

"Because I don't want anything to happen," Annie replied, sitting down with him.

Once again, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Annie, no matter what happens, I'm gonna do everything in my power to stay alive."

"Please do," she pleaded. "I can't lose you."

"You won't," he promised. "Annie…there is something I want to know: are you ever going to tell me what you're hiding?" Ever since she told him about the fact she was hiding a dark secret, he had been more than a little curious as to what she was keeping from him. Maybe now that graduation happened, she would tell him.

Unfortunately, all he got was a hesitant, noncommittal answer. "Someday, Dillon. I promise."

 _Well…it's a start._ "Remember what I said: I won't leave you when you tell me."

"I know that, Dillon," she assured.

He kissed her on the lips. "Just wanted to remind you."

There was a silent moment between them as Dillon continued to hold Annie the way he did. It was nice for them to be able to do this and enjoy each other's company.

"…Dillon. Do you love me?" Annie suddenly asked.

Normally, Dillon would joke, but he had been around Annie long enough to know that now wasn't the time. "I love you, Annie."

He could hear the hesitation in her voice. "Then…I'd like to tell you a secret. Promise me you won't get upset."

"I'm not gonna promise something I can't keep," he informed her, "but I will still love you, Annie."

She sighed, deciding to just say it. "I have a bad feeling about tomorrow..."

"Why tomorrow?" he asked.

"I don't know," she answered. "I just feel like something bad might happen."

He gave her a confused look. "I'm missing the part where you didn't want me to get upset."

She took a deep breath. "I…I think it might be the Colossal Titan."

For the first time in his life, Dillon gave her a look of suspicion. "Annie…why would you say that?"

"I don't know, Dillon. It's…it's just a feeling I have. I can't explain it."

Then it hit him. "Annie...is it almost that time? The time when Shiganshina fell?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's been five years."

He sighed. "You saw him, didn't you?"

"Yes… I did."

"That explains it. The trauma is surfacing up again," Dillon explained.

"Dillon, please, just promise me... you won't do anything hasty if something happens," Annie pleaded.

He sighed. "I'll be careful. I won't pull a stunt like I did to those kidnappers."

"Thank you," she replied gratefully, leaning into him.

"If the Colossal Titan shows up, we'll take him together," he stated.

"Agreed."

Smiling, the two leaned in for another kiss, enjoying this moment. For once, they weren't interrupted.

* * *

(The next morning)

Okay, so Dillon might have been wrong with saying that they would get a week off. While their workload had been greatly lessened, they still had things to do… like wall maintenance. Sections of the 104th would be divided among parts of Wall Rose to clean up the cannons to make sure they're in working order, and spruce up the wall a little. Some of them believed the Wall Worshippers had something to do with the latter.

Until then, a crowd had gathered around the road to greet the prominent members of the Survey Corps: Commander Erwin Smith, the blond-haired leader, Hanji Zoë, a Squad Leader who also happened to be a scientist, and Captain Levi, the short, black-haired man who was apparently Humanity's Strongest Soldier. If the rumors behind him were even a quarter to be true, humanity was in good hands.

"Heads up!" some random guy announced. "The main unit of the Scout Regiment is back!"

"That's right, Commander Erwin!" another guy yelled. "Did you give those ugly bastards a thrashing!?"

"Look, it's Captain Levi!" yet another guy pointed out. "They say he's like a one-man army."

Said one-man army just scoffed and mumbled, "Spare me please."

"Do you feel how excited everybody is?" Eren asked, looking happy for the first time in years. "It's like the crowd just has a different energy now."

"Well, we are going on five years without incident," a red-headed cadet named Hannah pointed out. "Seems like a good omen."

"And you should check out all the cannon upgrades," the tan-skinned cadet next to her, Franz, added. "The sight alone ought to be enough to scare them off."

"That's the truth," she replied.

"That's a load of bullcrap, you idiotic couple!" Eren raged.

 _Lord, give me one day without Eren bitching about something._ Dillon inwardly pleaded.

Said couple started blushing furiously.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This isn't what it looks like!" Hannah protested, looking away.

"Knock it off, man. It's embarrassing," Franz added.

Dillon just rolled his eyes at the spectacle. The two were lovesick dopes. In his own relationship with Annie, _he_ was the lovesick dope.

While Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were greeting a Captain they knew from their hometown, Dillon took the time to read again a letter he received from his parents that morning. It was an apology from them for not being able to be here today, but they promised to show up tomorrow and invited him and Annie to the Interior for dinner. When he told her about it, she was very intrigued to meet his parents. He had a sinking feeling that it would consist of 25% eating, 25% getting to know Annie Leonhart, and 50% embarrassing him. In other words, he was both looking forward to the get-together, and dreading it.

About an hour later, several cadets that consisted of Eren, Sasha, Dillon, Mina, Connie, Samuel, and Thomas finally began their work on their section of Wall Rose. Most them were assigned to cannon examinations while the others were attending the wall via dusting or removing objects that didn't need to be there.

Of course, given that Eren was there, he had to shout about something, but for once, it wasn't something bad. "What the hell do you mean, 'you're joining the Scouts!?"' Eren demanded, bewildered. "What happened to the MPs? That was your whole thing!"

"Don't worry about it," Connie replied. "A guys allowed to change his mind, okay?"

"Same here," Dillon added. "Annie and I had a long talk, and I've decided to join the Scouts as well." _Now, how do I break the news to Jean?_

Eren couldn't believe it. "But…I…what's going on?"

"I think your speech yesterday lit a fire under them," Mina suggested.

 _Not me._ Dillon thought to himself. _Though, it gave me hope about you._

"Ain't nobody talking to you!" Connie shot back, turning to face them. "His temper tantrum had nothing to do with it!"

"Take it easy," Thomas advised. "It's not like you're the only one."

"What? Are you serious?" Eren asked, calm for a change.

Before he could answer, Sasha walked over to them holding her jacket tightly over her. "Can you guys keep a secret?" She opened it to reveal a huge slab of raw meat. "Because I totally helped myself to the officer's pantry."

Dillon slapped his forehead hard while everyone just looked at her in shock.

"Sasha, they could throw your ass in the clink for that!" Eren exclaimed.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Samuel questioned.

"What _isn't_ wrong with her?" Connie snarked, sounding defeated and annoyed.

"It'll be fine," Sasha assured, drooling while sounding like she was about devour the whole slab herself. "I'm willing to share. Oh, can you imagine the sandwiches?" She started chuckling madly.

Dillon slowly started backing up, a little unnerved by her.

"Put it back!" Connie ordered.

"Yeah," Mina agreed, worried. "Do you have any idea how rare meat's been since the Titans took Wal Maria?"

"Um…little bit," the food addict answered. "Yeah." She knelt and opened a hatch to stash the meat in. "Look at it this way: pretty soon, we'll take back all the room we'll need for livestock."

Samuel took a whiff of the meat and said, "I would really like a slice, please!"

"Hey, if he gets one, so do I," Connie stated, changing his tune completely. "Just so you know."

"Me too," Mina added. "I want in on it, too."

Eren looked at the group as if they were insane as they split off to continue working.

"Come on, Eren," Dillon stated with a grin. "Let's get back to work before the powers-that-be notice us slacking off."

"See you guys at lunch time," Mina said as she went to clean off the cannon closest to her.

Eren smiled and stared out at the wonderful city of Trost. A downward look revealed barricades and cannons ready to shoot anything that dared to come through the gate. _Has it really been five years? Look at us! Ready to stand tall once again. We can do it! Mankind didn't start this fight, but we're gonna-_

"Hey, slacker!" Dillon exclaimed. "If you're done staring at the city, could you-?"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning crashed behind them and instantly appeared a creature that caused everyone to stare in horror.

It was massive, standing about 60 meters. Steam billowed from its body, creating a slight fog. There was no skin on its body. Only flesh. The only skin that was on it was pink and covering its face like some sort of mask. There were no lips on the thing, so they could all see its giant teeth as it seemed to glare at them.

The Colossal Titan had returned.

* * *

 **AN: Here we are, folks. The Invasion of Trost! Review, favorite, and follow at your discretion.**

 **Also, quick announcement. I have finally found someone who can draw a picture of Dillon Amsdale, so the blank spot in the title card will be filled in the future. Whether I commission an actual title card is anyone's guess.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey, guys. I'm back with another chapter. This one was harder than I thought it would be, hence why it's out this late. Between then and now, I read the next chapter of the manga and all I'll say is…interesting. I saw the Season 2 premiere and all I'll say is…is it just me or is the new intro a mashup of the two previous intros?**

* * *

Chapter 9: The Invasion of Trost

Never in his entire life had Dillon been so terrified. This red-skinned monster that towered over Wall Rose was looking at them as if they were nothing but insignificant insects. Before any of them could do anything, steam jetted out of its body like a current, knocking the cadets off the Wall. Quickly, most of them managed to attach themselves to the Wall and stop their fall except for Samuel, who was knocked out by falling debris. Thinking fast, Sasha detached her cables, ran down the Wall, shot a cable into his leg, and fired the other one into the Wall, securing them both.

"Try not to move!" she yelled. "Understand!?"

All Samuel could do was groan.

"That was too damn close," Eren commented.

"Oh, God, no," Thomas said, looking at the wall. "Not again!"

The cadets stared in horror at the newly formed hole in the Wall that would be big enough for invading Titans.

"They're gonna get in," Thomas continued, his panic overtaking him. "They're gonna get in! THEY'RE GONNA GET IN!"

None of them were more horrified by the turn of events than Eren Yeager. He was there when Wall Maria fell to the same, damned monster. He was there when the Titans invaded and proceeded to kill so many people. He was there when…

"No," he snarled in defiance. "This is over. I'm gonna put a stop to this! I will! This ends now!" Drawing his swords, he began making his way up as he yelled to his fellow comrades. "This is it, people! DO OR DIE!" Quickly, he started giving orders. "Mount the cannons, Squad 4! Take out the Colossal Titan! This is our chance! Don't let it slip away!"

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Dillon trailed behind him. He was a soldier and he was not going to cower from the thing he spent three years training to kill. Unlike everyone else, Dillon had mental powers and he was going to use them to their full capacity. If Eren was right, they could end this all now. As he got closer to the top, lots of pieces of the Wall fell towards him including a couple of cannons. He barely dodged them by swinging around them, having several close calls. Seemed like the Titan was getting rid of the defenses.

 _Crap, it's intelligent._ Dillon realized when he reached the top.

He spotted Eren attach a cable into the Colossal Titan's back as he swung around, but then the Titan's gaze fell on him. Gulping, Dillon was about to attack when he noticed something in the monster's eyes, something different: a faint twinge of recognition. The blacksmith shook his head furiously. There was no way the Titan knew him. They just met today. Surely, he was seeing things. However, he saw something else in its eyes that made his anxiety rise: anger.

 _How the hell is it displaying human emotions!?_

"Dillon, move!" Eren shouted.

Snapping out of it, Dillon jumped away from its palm that slammed down where he was. Running a safe distance, he noticed Eren swinging around and landing on its arm to run up at him, but the Titan, to his surprise, was ignoring him. He prepared to hit him with a mental attack, but steam shot out from its body and hit Dillon. It wasn't enough to send him off the wall, but it was enough to make him grunt in pain as he felt his body heat up. He couldn't see anything, but the worst part was that he felt like he was being boiled alive. Instinctively, Dillon leapt off the wall and it was a good thing too. A second later, the Colossal Titan's fist smashed down where he was standing a second ago.

After falling for a bit, Dillon latched himself to the Wall, and just hung there, leaning against it. His skin felt like it was on fire even though it wasn't, he was sweating up a storm, and he was panting heavily.

"Dillon, are you all right!?" Connie exclaimed, shocked.

"Ask me…later," he responded, out of breath and his voice hoarse.

There was a loud scream courtesy of Eren and then…silence.

Concerned, Thomas zoomed up to the top and noticed that the Colossal Titan had vanished and Eren was hanging off the other side of the wall, dumbstruck. "Eren, where'd he go!? Did he get away, or did you take him out!?"

"He's gone!" Eren answered, trying not to panic. "Exactly like five years ago! He's here one moment, then gone the next. Just like that."

Mina quickly made her way towards Dillon. "We need to get you to HQ fast."

Still panting like a dog, he just nodded.

"I'll get you there." She turned her back to him. "Get on."

Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her neck and she took off towards HQ.

"It's going to be okay," Mina promised. "We're going to survive this."

"Need…water," Dillon stated weakly.

"You'll get it. Just hang on."

After about ten minutes, the two reached HQ as she slowly lowered herself down to the ground. Placing Dillon in a sitting position against the Wall, Mina grabbed an empty canteen.

"I'm filling this up with water," she said, doing just that.

He barely gave a nod, still panting.

Once it was full, she handed it to him. "Drink slowly."

With shaking hands, he lifted it up to his mouth, taking a few sips. Then, he poured the whole thing on his face to cool him down.

"Feeling better?" Mina asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "Might need another one though."

"I'll take care of it," she assured, taking the empty canteen to refill it.

"Cadets!" a commanding voice exclaimed.

Mina instantly snapped to a salute as a tall man with brown hair, eyes, and beard stalked up to them, glaring angrily. This was Kitz Weilman, a Captain of the Garrison troops. Dillon struggled to stand, so he settled for a salute on the ground. They noticed a young, gray-haired woman wearing glasses standing next to them, giving them a stern look. They had no idea who that was.

"Are you deserting your posts!?" he questioned, looking ready to shoot them on sight.

Mina explained their actions quickly. "Sir, as you know, the Colossal Titan breached the Wall. Cadet Amsdale attempted to attack him, but he was nearly boiled alive by the steam that Titan produced. To keep him from passing out, I brought him here to hydrate him."

"Judging by how he looks like a dehydrated dog, I think she's telling the truth," the woman stated.

 _You're too kind._ Dillon thought sarcastically.

"Rico, get him to interrogation room for questioning," he ordered.

"Yes, sir." With the gentleness of a crab, Rico hoisted the teen up. "Come on. Let's go."

"I need water," Dillon said, nearly falling over.

The woman growled, putting his arm on her shoulder and walking him inside the building. "Quit your whining, Cadet, or I'll feed you to the Titans myself."

Weilman turned back to Mina. "Cadet, get your ass inside and fill up your tank!"

"Yes, sir," she replied, heading to the refueling station quickly.

Inside, Rico put Dillon down in a chair as well as a canteen of cold water. "Anything else, Cadet? Perhaps a soft pillow or a warm blanket?"

Seeing that she had a higher rank than him, he chose to answer respectfully. "No, ma'am."

She snorted, pulling out a notepad, ready to write the report. "Good. Because I have better things to do than to babysit recruits."

At this time, Weilman stepped into the interrogation room, getting right in Dillon's face."Tell me everything about the Colossal Titan!"

Taking a sip of water, Dillon said, "It was huge and skinless, but it was intelligent."

"What do you mean by intelligent?" he questioned.

"It knew to take out the cannons first," he explained. "Once it was finished, it disappeared." He looked at him dead in the eyes. "The Colossal Titan's singular purpose was to bring down our defenses and let the Titans in. Nothing more."

That got Rico interested. "According to the reports five years ago, all the Colossal Titan did was kick down the gate before disappearing. And you say that it used steam against you?"

He nodded. "Think of it like a tidal wave of steam coming at you. Mina Carolina, the cadet that brought me here, wasn't kidding that it tried to boil me alive."

The captain sighed. "It's not much, but it's more than we had five years ago. Can you continue to fight?"

"Five minutes, sir," Dillon requested. "That's all I need."

"Granted. Let's go, Rico."

The woman followed him out, leaving Dillon alone to his thoughts.

 _Why didn't I say anything about that Titan wanting to kill me?_ Dillon wondered. _Maybe because I was seeing things…right?_

Closing his eyes, he traveled right back to that very moment, the moment the Colossal Titan saw him. He studied the memory, watching as how it immediately turned its attention on him. He wasn't imagining things. The Colossal Titan had it out for him.

 _It doesn't make sense._ He thought, drinking his water. _None of this makes any sense._

With a sigh, the teen stood up and headed towards the refueling depot. The time had finally come to fight Titans, and he needed to go after them with everything he had. Everything depended on it.

* * *

The entirety of the 104th had gathered in the courtyard of headquarters. Most of them were terrified, but they managed to keep it together. This was what they were trained for and they were going to defend their homes.

"I want everyone divided into four squadrons just like we practiced!" Weilman ordered, though it sounded like he was on the verge of panicking. "All squadrons are responsible for supply readiness, message relay, and enemy combat under the command of the Garrison Regiment! The intermediate squadron will be taking the vanguard, the cadets will be taking the middle guard led by the support squad, rearguard will go to the elites. I expect you all to man your posts knowing the advanced team was wiped out!"

There were several shocked gasps from the cadets. Things were getting bad quick.

"That's right!" His voice was cracking just a little. "The outer gate is history! The Titans are in! This means the Armored Titan is likely to reappear. If, and when, he does, the inner gate will also be history."

There were whispers scattering throughout them all about how this was horrible and thoughts about how they were all gonna die.

"Quiet!" Weilman ordered. "Those of the vanguard be ready! Your mission is a very simple one: defend the Wall until the evacuation's done." He glared at all of them. "Now, be aware, all of you, that desertion is punishable by execution. If it comes to it, lay down your lives! Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir!" they all responded.

With the debriefing over, many of the cadets ran off to their respective squadrons to prepare for battle. Unfortunately, there were a lot of them that were beginning to panic, including Jean.

"Why did this have to happen now?" he asked in fear. "Just one more day and I would've been heading for the Interior."

It didn't help when he watched another cadet vomiting his guts out while Krista attempted to comfort him.

Not even Dillon was immune to the fear that was slowly consuming him. He sat against the wall, staring at his shaking hand. Almost dying wasn't new to him, but that fear was far more evident today than ever before. He had encountered his first Titan and he was almost killed. Never in his life had he come so close. Never in his life was he so terrified. He was so wrapped up in it he didn't notice his girlfriend running over to him.

She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close, closing her eyes as she panted in worry.

"Annie..." he whispered, hugging her tightly. She could feel him shaking.

"Mina told me," Annie said. "You saw him?"

"Yes," he answered. "He knocked me off when he destroyed the cannons, but when I got back up, he looked at me and…he tried to kill me."

"He was probably just trying to get the defenders off the wall," she reasoned.

Dillon looked at her dead in the eyes. "Annie…Eren was up there with me, but he went after me."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Dillon, that doesn't make sense!"

"I know it doesn't!" he exclaimed. "He treated Eren like an annoying fly, but he was focused on me! He shrouded the area and steam and...I jumped off the wall just before he slammed his fist where I was. When I came back up, he was gone." He let out a sigh, not sure if should say what else was on his mind. "There's something else, but you might think I'm crazy."

"What is it?" Annie asked.

"When he looked at me...I saw recognition in his eyes," he revealed. "And then...anger. It was like he knew me."

"You were probably just imagining things, Dillon," she replied.

"Annie, I've been watching that memory over and over again. I wasn't seeing things," Dillon protested. "His expression changed. He had it out for me! Why did he-?"

"Dillon, stop!" Annie interrupted sternly, gripping him by the shoulders. "Now isn't the time to follow conspiracy theories. Right now, there are Titans that are entering Trost, and we have to do our duties as soldiers to stall them long enough for the civilians to get evacuated. You need to get it together and fight with us!"

Taking a deep breath, he willed himself to stand back up. "You're right. I'm not a coward!"

"Damn right, you're not," she agreed, standing with him. "We have to push them back here and now."

He looked over and noticed that his squad was waving him over. "I have to go. I've been assigned to Franz's squad."

She gave him a quick kiss. "Watch over them. And come back to me in one piece."

"Same to you. Tell Bertholdt and Reiner I said 'good luck,'" he responded before running over to his squad.

Said squad was composed of Franz and Hannah, but there were also two other people with them. One was a black-haired boy with a stocky appearance and hazel eyes. The other was a dirty blond-haired girl with brown eyes.

"All right!" Franz exclaimed. "Let's introduce each other quickly. Franz Kefka."

"Hannah Diament."

"Dillon Amsdale."

"Elsa Glöckner."

"Vaughn Hoffer."

"Captain Weilman has assigned me as team leader," Franz stated. "As stated, our main objective is to hold the Titans back by any means necessary."

Hannah gulped nervously as the thought. Even though she trained for this, she was not keen on dying today.

"Can it even be done?" Vaughn asked quietly. "There are so many of them."

Dillon sighed. "We won't get anything done if we just stand around here talking about it."

Elsa nodded in agreement. "If we die, we die for humanity. There's no greater honor than that."

"Squad 31, move out!" a nearby officer ordered.

"That's us," Franz realized. "Time to go."

Though they were nervous, the five were determined to do everything in their power to keep humanity safe. They just hoped it would be enough to make a difference.

* * *

Squad 31's position was about two miles east of Squad 34, which was Eren's group. In the distance, they could see Titans of all shapes and sizes walking around the city looking for humans to eat. The cemented grins on their faces sent shivers down their spines.

"Freaky as hell," Vaughn commented.

"What's the plan, Squad Leader?" Dillon asked.

"Charging in isn't going to work against these things," Franz stated. "We're gonna need a much better approach." He paced back and forth, trying to think of one.

"Maybe we should let them come to us," Hannah suggested nervously. "I mean, we could hide out in these buildings and strike when they get close."

Her clearly-not-her-boyfriend grinned. "That's actually a good idea. We can split off into two groups. One group will have to draw the Titan in, and the other swoops in and kills them quickly."

"It's a risky plan, but I'd choice that over charging in like a suicidal maniac," Dillon stated.

Elsa, who had been quiet this whole time, said, "I'm in."

The squad zoomed forward, drawing closer to the Titans. Their first target was a twelve-meter Titan that had a stocky appearance. Quickly, they split off into two different buildings via the windows. Vaughn, Franz, and Hannah one the left side, and Dillon and Elsa on the right.

"Get ready to move," Elsa whispered, swords at the ready.

Nodding, the blacksmith prepared his weapons as well as the thumping sounds drew closer.

The twelve-meter could smell them. That much was clear. The question was which group it would go for. Suddenly, it roared and charged to right side. The humans inside were closer.

"Move!" Dillon shouted, jumping out of the way of a hand that almost grabbed him.

"Come and get us, you bastard!" Elsa taunted, trying to keep its attention on them.

It reared its head back in preparation to slam into the opening face-first, but the sound of flesh being cut made it freeze for a moment. Slowly, it fell to the ground, its nape having been split open. The other three landed inside, Franz's sword covered in blood.

"You two okay?" he asked.

"Next time, you're the bait!" Dillon exclaimed, just a little shaken up.

He chuckled and stared at his sword. "My first Titan kill."

"Good job, Franz," Hannah complemented.

The moment was interrupted by a rumbling sound and the ground shaking violently.

"Three Titans incoming!" Vaughn announced, horrified. "Two ten-meters and one fifteen-meter."

Switching out the blade for a new one, Franz said, "Stay together and take them out quickly."

"Yes, sir," they all replied.

Firing their cables, Squad 31 zoomed out onto the nearest rooftop to get a better view of the situation, but it was too late. The fifteen-meter was the first to reach them, lunging at the building they were standing on.

"Run!" Franz yelled.

Barely, the five jumped away as the Titan crashed into the building, demolishing it completely. Most of them were able to grapple to a building. Franz, however, flew right into the side of the building, falling to the ground.

"Franz!" Hannah cried.

Dillon was watching the scene beginning to unravel quickly. The two ten-meters were closing in fast and the fifteen-meter was reaching out for Franz. Hannah managed to slice its fingers off and attempted to pull Franz away, but he was too heavy. She was too caught up in despair to notice the fifteen-meter reach with its other hand. Vaughn looked like he was about to try and bolt, and Elsa was prepared to go down fighting.

 _I once said that I thought I could be a good leader._ Dillon thought to himself as he steeled himself for what he was about to do. _Time to find out._

His eyes started to flash as he shouted out orders. "Vaughn, Elsa, hold the ten-meters off! I'll take care of the big guy."

"You got it," Elsa replied, going for the one on the right.

Vaughn was more reluctant. "But, Dillon-"

"Go!" he ordered, focusing all his energy on the monster in front of him.

The Titan stopped, instinctively clutching its head in pain. Blood began leaking from its face as Dillon made the capillaries in its brain burst. Given that this thing was bigger, it took a lot more mental strength to do so. When he noticed Hannah finally pull Franz away from the Titan, Dillon swung around on the cable and sliced open the nape, killing it instantly.

Elsa and Vaughn were doing pretty well. Surprisingly, Vaughn was a better fighter than he let on once he let go of his fear. He managed to blind the ten-meter Titan he took on before slicing its nape. Elsa cut open the Achilles Heel on hers, making it fall to the ground. She quickly killed it before it could get up. With the Titans dead, Squad 31 managed to scramble to a high rooftop as the bodies left behind began to decompose quickly.

"Is everyone all right?" Dillon asked.

Franz nodded, rubbing his sore head. "I'm gonna have a wicked headache in the morning."

Suddenly, Elsa stalked up to him and pointed a sword at his neck.

"Elsa, what are you doing?" Vaughn questioned.

"What are you?" she demanded.

"Elsa, I don't-" The point hit his neck.

"You stared at the Titan, and blood began to pour from its face," Elsa stated, glaring at him. "So, I'm gonna ask again: What. Are. You!?"

Gulping, Dillon answered, "I'm a human with psychic abilities."

"How is that possible?"

"It's a long story!" he replied quickly.

"Condense it," she ordered.

"Elsa, there's no time for that," Franz interjected, walking over to them. "As much as we all want to ask him questions, we have more important things to worry about."

"Squad Leader, you've seen what he's capable of," she shot back. "How do we know we can trust him?"

"Because I saved Franz's life," Dillon answered coolly. "Elsa, every second you spend demanding answers, the likelihood of people dying rises. Either accept that I'm on your side, or cut my head off and move on."

"This isn't…normal," Elsa stated. "How can I trust you with that kind of power?"

"Elsa, please," Hannah said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He saved Franz's life."

It was a long ten seconds, but after that passage of time, she sighed and lowered the sword. "Sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"I understand." He turned to Franz. "What's our next move?"

"How long can you do that for?" he asked.

"I don't know," Dillon said, "but I'm gonna go all out."

Hannah rushed over to him, taking out a handkerchief. "You're bleeding."

Dillon was about to retort, but she wiped the blood from his nose. Once she was done, he finally spoke. "It happens if I go too far."

"So it's not gonna last long," Vaughn realized.

"I was high on adrenaline, but now that I'm not, I can take it easy. I can give the Titans some nasty headaches and you guys can deliver the killing blow. The more I strain to use these powers, the more likely I'm gonna get dizzy and lightheaded."

Franz nodded. "We'll keep an eye out if the strain becomes too much for your mind."

"Got it."

What went from an attempt at a cloak-and-dagger plan turned into a hit-and-run tactic. With Dillon's abilities, they could actually go search for Titans to kill. Granted, there were Abnormals, Titans that displayed bouts of intelligence, to worry about, but it was thanks to the blacksmith that their lives were made a little easier.

"12-meter dead ahead," Vaughn announced, growing a lot more confident as of late. "Who wants that one?"

"I'll take it," Hannah said with a grin. "You guys have been having all the fun."

"It's only been fifteen minutes," Franz informed her.

"And I only got one Titan kill," she stated.

Dillon rolled his eyes while making them glow. "Go for it, Hannah."

She charged towards the Titan as it held its head in pain and slashed its neck. Unfortunately, the cuts were too shallow.

"Circle around and try again!" Franz exclaimed.

"You holding up there, Psychic?" Elsa questioned.

"Can't stay on this guy much longer," he said. "Hurry up."

Quickly, Hannah circled around and cut the nape, striking a killing blow. "Yes!"

"There we go," her not-boyfriend congratulated.

"What's the tally so far?" Vaughn asked.

"Four for me," Elsa answered, "five for Franz, three for you, and two for both Hannah and Dillon."

"I should point out that I assisted on most of your kills," Dillon reminded them, "so my number is above all of you."

Suddenly, drops of water began to fall from the sky. It quickly increased to many as a downpour of rain fell on them.

"Feels nice," Vaughn commented, letting the rain wash over him.

"Let's take a couple of minutes," Franz suggested.

Dillon sat down and rested against the window, finally able to relax for a bit.

"Hey," Elsa said, standing next to him. "Sorry about earlier."

"You were confronted with something you couldn't comprehend," he replied. "Sure, I'm a little ticked off, but I can't completely hold it against you."

She sighed. "This whole thing is so insane. Right after graduation, we immediately get attacked, and now I'm standing next to the only human with abnormal abilities."

"It's a lot to take in," he agreed. "You should've seen my girlfriend's reaction."

"What's her name?" she wondered.

"Annie Leonhart. Cold at first, but she warms up after a while."

She chuckled. "Glad you have someone to live for."

"I'll introduce you if we run into her." He looked up at her. "What about you? Have anyone special in your life?"

Before she could answer, the bell began to ring in the distance.

"The civilians made it out," Hannah realized, smiling.

That's when the reality of the situation hit Vaughn. "At what cost?" When the squad looked at him, he explained himself. "I mean, we're the only ones in our squad to have someone like Dillon. Everyone else had to fight these Titans without the advantage we have. Can you imagine how many have died already?"

Dillon looked down at the street and noticed that some of the puddles were mixed with blood. Whether it was Titan blood or human blood, the point was made. Soldiers have been giving up their lives all day to make Trost safe. It was a sobering thought.

"They won't be forgotten," Franz promised as he looked at Headquarters from afar. "Let's head back to Headquarters and regroup with the others. Gas is good on my end. How about you guys?"

"Good enough to make it," Dillon answered.

"I'm good," Elsa assured.

"Same as Dillon," Vaughn stated. "I'll make it."

"I have enough," Hannah said.

Dillon stood up…and promptly stumbled, the world spinning.

"Easy there," Vaughn warned as he and Elsa held him back, concerned. "You okay?"

Shaking his head to ward off the dizziness, he answered, "I think I reached my limit."

"I can carry you the rest of the way," Franz offered.

Once again, Dillon found himself piggyback riding his way to safety, and he was sufficiently annoyed. "Twice in one day. This better not become a regular habit."

"Wait, this happened before?" Hannah asked.

"Later," he replied with a sigh.

Squad 31 was on the move again except it was a little quieter this time around. Some of them began to notice the dead soldiers lying in the streets, and they were grisly sights to behold.

"I recognize some of them," Vaughn whispered. "People that I knew in Training."

Worried, Dillon made a mental call to his girlfriend. _"Annie, are you there?"_

There was no response.

He was about to try again, but the lightheadedness got worse. Seemed like communications would be shot for a while too. Until then, he would have to hope that he wouldn't see Annie among the bodies.

"We're about halfway there, guys," Franz stated. "Let's keep up the-"

There was a loud roar that came from their left, causing their eyes to widen in horror. A thirteen-meter was coming at them, full speed. Instantly, Dillon tried a mental attack, but he didn't have the strength to do it.

"We can't lead that thing back to HQ!" Vaughn stated. "We have to kill it now."

"I've got it," Elsa assured, pulling back.

Before anyone could stop her, she dodged a bite attempt and circled around, ready to cut open the nape. Then, it happened. Her tank ran out of gas. Thrown off balance, she made a cut that wasn't deep enough to kill it. She crashed against the side of a building, which shattered her gear. She fell to the ground as she cried out in pain, her arm twisted at an odd angle. Elsa was completely vulnerable.

The minute that happened, Franz put it all together. Elsa lied to them. She knew that she had the least amount of gas, but she pretended everything was fine. She didn't want to be a burden and was willing to sacrifice herself if it meant getting the rest of the squad got to safety.

She didn't want them to save her.

With a pained look, Franz made the hardest call of his life. "Keep going!"

Hannah, who was about to turn around, stared at him in shock. "Are you crazy!? That thing's going to eat her!"

"Damn it, Hannah, I know!" he shot back, his eyes glistening with tears. "We're running out of gas, and we have to make it to Headquarters without delays!"

"Please, don't make me leave her!" she begged.

"RUN!" came the final cry of the woman they were leaving behind as the Titan lifted her up.

"I'm sorry," Franz whispered as they continued forward towards their objective.

All four of them could hear her screaming as the Titan crushed her body in its hands. The pitch of her voice got higher and higher until it suddenly stopped. Aside from the cables pulling them forward, there was dead silence. Elsa Glöckner was no more.

* * *

 **Poor Elsa Glöckner. You were gone too soon. Rest in peace. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see more reviews, follows, and favorites.**

 **The next chapter should be easier.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I'm feeling good. Season 2 is off to a good start, school is almost over, and I commissioned a portrait of Dillon Amsdale that will be the title picture...until I decide to commission an actual title picture!**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Price of Survival

The rain didn't last very long in the city of Trost. Within twenty minutes, it had subsided, but its work was finally done. The blood of the slain soldiers had spread throughout the city like a river, as if wanting to constantly remind the survivors that sacrifices were made today. They didn't need such reminders, for the memories of their comrades getting killed by the Titans were branded into their memories.

The 104th gathered on a collection of rooftops, exhausted and traumatized. They had seen so many horrible things today that they would never forget. Lives snuffed out at a moment's notice, screams of the dying echoing in their minds, and the thought that they, too, would suffer the same fate.

"Hey, Jean!" Connie exclaimed, one of the few that put aside the trauma. "What are we gonna do?"

The brown-haired teen didn't even look at him, finding the roof a far more interesting sight. "We can't _do_ anything. They finally gave us the order to withdraw, and we're all out of gas. Of course." He sighed. "I can't believe this is how it's gonna end…because of those damned cowards."

"You mean the supply depot?" Connie asked, confused. "What is going on? Where are they!?"

"They all lost their will to fight," Jean explained. "I can understand why…but they abandoned their duty to supply us, barricading themselves inside HQ. And, of course, Titans have swarmed the place which means we can't get the gas ourselves."

Connie was getting more aggravated by the situation. "Then why are we waiting!? We gotta go! Start thinning their numbers so we have a chance! Sitting here on this roof is completely pointless! Eventually, the Titans are gonna come for us."

Jean didn't say anything and only gave him a cold look.

"We don't have much gas left," he went on. "We'll just waste what little we've got if we try to run. And without our mobility, we're completely screwed!"

"You're using your head for once, Connie," he noted. "Nice going, but I'm not sure if we've got the numbers needed to pull this thing off. The veterans in the vanguard force have all been killed. How exactly do a bunch of rookies pull off a suicide mission like this? I mean, let's assume half our forces survive the initial assault. Then what? The supply room is probably crawling with Titans in the three to four-meter range. I don't see us accomplishing much there."

The words sunk in as Connie lost the drive he had. "It's…hopeless."

Jean let out a sigh. "God, what a dull life this turned out to be." He looked up for a second. "Any sign of him?"

He shook his head. "Annie asked me the same question not too long ago."

Jean chuckled a little. "Bastard's too stubborn to die. If anyone has a chance of making it, it's him."

On another part of the roof, Sasha was attempting to rally the troops. "Come on, guys. We can do it! Right? Let's go. If we all work together, we can make this happen. I know we can. All right? I'll take the lead."

Her words fell on deaf ears. The cadets were too traumatized to even move. They had seen horrors they never imagined in their worst nightmares.

Discouraged, she looked around for a kindred spirit and found Armin sitting in a corner, looking down. She quickly ran over to him. "Armin, it's time to go!"

He was just like the rest of them: petrified and motionless.

Nearby, Annie kept a sharp eye out for any sign of Dillon. She knew he wasn't dead given that their mind link was still open, but her attempts at contacting him mentally were met with silence. There were lots of reasons why that could be, so she kept her ears and eyes out.

"It's not like you to hope," a voice suddenly noted.

She forgot that she was standing next to her squad. "He's still alive, Reiner."

"How can you be sure, Annie?" Bertholdt asked, giving her a confused look. "None of have seen him since the debriefing earlier."

"I can't explain it…but I know he's not dead," she replied.

"You really care about him, don't you?" Reiner realized.

Annie didn't answer that for a moment, but then she said, "He's my boyfriend. Of course I do."

"Must be nice to have someone like that in your life," Marco stated, giving that same traumatized look everyone else had. "Someone that cares about you, someone that loves you. When I die, I'll have no one."

"Hey, don't talk like that," Bertholdt rebuked. "We're gonna get through this."

"It's no use," he replied, lost in despair. "There's too many of them. I don't think any of us are going to survive this. I've come to accept my impending demise." He looked up at the wall ahead, so close but not close enough. "I just…wanted my death to mean something."

At this time, there was nothing they could do to help Marco. Not while he was like that.

Their ears perked up at the sounds of ODM gear being used. Some of the cadets look over to see four other cadets arrive at the scene, practically crashing onto the rooftop. They recognized this group as Squad 31, but one of their members was clearly injured as he was carefully lowered onto the—

"Dillon!" Connie exclaimed, running towards him.

Jean and Sasha's eyes widened, quickly joining him.

The blacksmith didn't look injured save for some blood running from his nose.

"He got dizzy and nearly passed out," Franz explained. "He needs water." He turned to Hannah. "Hannah-"

He knew the slap was coming and made no effort to dodge it. Seeing that look in her eyes, that look of betrayal, it hurt him more than the slap. Unable to look at him anymore, Hannah sat on the edge of the rooftop, burying her face in her hands.

With a sigh, Franz sat next to her, his face still stinging. "I know you're furious with me, Hannah…but I had no choice."

"We could've saved her," she wept.

He shook his head sadly. "No, we couldn't. The tanks were too low to attempt attacking the Titan and Dillon was too incapacitated to help. I didn't want to leave Elsa either."

"Then why did you?" Hannah questioned, giving him that same look. "Why did you tell us to leave?"

"…Because we had to live," he answered, pulling her close.

She couldn't find it in her to resist his attempt to comfort her, so she just let him.

Connie handed him his canteen. "Here."

Like earlier, Dillon knew to take careful sips as he sat up in a sitting position. "Thanks."

"Move!" Quickly, his friends moved aside to make way for Annie as she knelt down next to him, worried. "What happened?"

"I didn't…recover fully from the Colossal Titan's attack earlier," he lied openly, but on the mental side… _"Too much strain on my powers."_

She let out a sigh. "You just don't know your limitations, do you?"

Normally, Dillon would've had a snarky comeback, but not this time. Not after losing Elsa. He was still shaken up over her death.

Annie picked up on his pain. "Something happened."

He nodded sadly. "We lost someone: a girl named Elsa Glöckner. She…she didn't tell us that she was almost out of gas and…she was eaten." A tear fell from his face. "I can still hear her screams."

Doing the only thing she could do, Annie embraced him gently, rubbing his back. "I'm sorry, Dillon."

"Why are they doing this, Annie?" he asked quietly. "Why do they hate us so much?"

"I don't know," she answered.

"There is no reason," Reiner stated, kneeling down to their level. "The Titans are feral monsters who want to kill us all. That's what they want."

"Thank you for your help, Reiner," Annie spat, annoyed.

He sighed, ignoring her. "Amsdale, I know today has been hard on you. It's been hard on all of us-"

 _Fricking. Understatement._ Dillon thought to himself.

"-but you've gotta put all of this aside. We have a mission to complete."

It was really strange for him to get sympathy from Annie and a dose of reality from Reiner. Nevertheless, he nodded. "You're right. We're not done yet."

"Annie!"

The blond-haired girl glanced at Mikasa, who had just arrived on the scene. Seemed like she decided to abandon the rearguard after they evacuated the civilians.

"Wait, is Dillon all right?" she asked, concerned.

"Shaken up and dizzy, but I'll live," he answered, turning around to face her. "Appreciate the concern."

Satisfied that he wasn't critically injured, she went back to talking with Annie. "I know how bad things have gotten. It's selfish, putting personal matters on the forefront, but have you seen Eren's squad?"

"Some squads made it back," she answered, "but I don't know about Eren's."

Reiner pointed his thumb to Armin. "We found Armin. He's over there."

Seeing the blond boy, Mikasa ran towards him. "Armin!"

He continued to stay silent, and even curled himself into a ball as she stopped in front of him.

"Armin, are you okay?" she asked gently as she knelt down in front of him. "You're not hurt, are you?" With every second of his silence, she grew more worried. "Where's Eren?" Her voice took on a tone of desperation. "Armin!"

Finally, Armin looked up with her, tears falling down his agonized face.

Inside, Mikasa felt her life being torn apart as she finally realized the truth.

At this point, many of the cadets had gathered around, wanting to know what happened.

"They were…" Armin spoke, his voice breaking. "The cadets of Squad 34: Thomas Wagner, Nack Tierce, Mylius Zeramuski, Mina Carolina-"

Dillon's head popped up at that name. _No! Not Mina!_

"-Eren Yeager. These brave five…upheld their duties. They died valiantly in the field of battle." Unable to take it anymore, Armin broke down completely.

The cadets grieved with him, though none of them had the strength to break down like Armin dead. Many of them bowed their heads in mourning, and some were staring at Armin, trying to comprehend the things he said. They couldn't believe that Eren Yeager, of all people, met an untimely end.

Mikasa felt like some pulled out her heart and crushed it before her eyes. She failed. She failed to take care of him when she needed him. She broke her promise to his mother, and now he was dead too. Once again, Mikasa was alone, and this time, it would stay that way.

Dillon did his best to hold back the emotions he felt. It was insensitive, but while he was mourning the loss of those people, the one he was truly grieving for among those names was Mina. He remembered how she was the one to come with a good plan to help save Krista from those kidnappers two years ago. How she carried him to Headquarters after the Colossal Titan attacked him. How she was more…hopeful about things.

 _"You're not alone, Dillon,"_ Annie told him mentally, giving his hand a comforting squeeze.

He let out a deep breath, shedding a few more tears in the process. Right now wasn't the best time for him to break down.

"I'm so sorry, Mikasa," Armin wept softly, wrapped up in survivor's guilt. "It should've been me that died. Not Eren. I couldn't do a thing. I'm worthless."

Letting out a sigh, Mikasa knelt down and placed her hand on his. "Armin…calm down. There's no time to get emotionally right now."

Armin looked at her and nearly flinched at the sight. Mikasa's eyes were completely devoid of…anything.

"On your feet," she ordered, pulling him up. She began walking to the other side of the roof. "Marco, if we eliminate or bypass the Titans at HQ, we can refuel our gear and get over the Wall? Is that assessment correct?"

"Well, uh, yeah, I guess so. Sure," he answered, a little put off by the change in demeanor, "but there's just too many of them out there, even with you in point."

Mikasa stopped and glared at him. "I can do it!"

Marco instinctively back up.

"I'm strong," she stated, pulling out her sword and raising it in the air. She had everyone's attention now. "Real strong. None of you come close! You hear me? I am a warrior!" It sounded like her voice was beginning to break.

Dillon tilted his head. _Mikasa…who are you trying to convince? Us…or yourself?_

"Know this," she went on. "I have the power to slay all of the Titans that block our way…even if I have to do it alone. As far as I'm concerned, I am surrounded by unskilled, cowardly worms."

The cadets stared at her, surprised. Some were upset that she had the gall to insult them, though it was getting them out of their traumatic state. Dillon clenched his fist at her words, but he didn't verbally retaliate. He knew she was in mourning and idiotic things were gonna come out of her mouth.

The rant continued. "You all can just sit here and suck on your thumbs and watch how it's done!"

"Wait, Mikasa, are you out of your mind!? That's crazy!" Hannah protested, brushing away the final remnants of her tears.

"You can't be serious, trying to take them out by yourself!" a male cadet added.

"Mikasa, we have to stick together," Dillon interjected, realizing what she was really going to do. "You can't just go off and-"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Amsdale," Mikasa warned darkly. "If I can't be beat them, then I'll die, but if I win, I'll live…and the only way to win is to fight."

Before anyone could stop her, Mikasa took off, ready to kill…or die trying.

Dillon shook his head. "She's throwing her life away," he muttered.

Jean scoffed. "You know, I was expecting something more motivational. Her way with words was kind of a letdown." He drew his swords, shaking. "I blame everything about this on you, Eren."

 _"See you at HQ,"_ Dillon said mentally, drawing new blades.

 _"Be careful,"_ Annie warned.

"Hey, don't just stand there!" Jean shouted to all the cadets. "We weren't taught to let our comrades fight alone! Unless you _are_ a coward, in which case, stay out of my way!"

With that, Jean and Connie dived off the roof, heading towards their objective.

"Squad 31, move out!" Dillon ordered, taking charge again.

The remaining members looked at him, shocked.

"For Elsa," he stated.

Nodding, they gathered around him. "For Elsa."

Giving Annie a smirk, Dillon charged off the building with Squad 31 right behind him.

"Never expected that from Jean," Reiner commented as he, Bertholdt, and Annie followed them.

With a sigh, Armin put one foot in front of the other, catching up to Marco who waited for him.

"Hey!" Sasha shouted while on the edge of the roof. "Seriously, come on, you bunch of chickens!"

Properly motivated, the rest of the cadets gave a shout of determination before following Sasha off the roof. Even the sun was starting to shine its way through the clouds.

The entire group followed Mikasa, who was taking down the Titans that came near them, towards the path to Headquarters. They had to avoid fighting to conserve gas and blades, and they did their best to jump from rooftop to rooftop, using gas sparingly. Dillon aided by launching quick, precise, mental attacks on the Titans Mikasa didn't get, stunning them long enough for the rest of the cadets to get through.

 _"Don't overdo it!"_ Annie warned.

 _"We're going to make it,"_ he swore.

Up ahead, the cadets watched in horror as Mikasa, who was far ahead of them, run out of gas. She crashed onto a rooftop before falling to the street below. Armin and Connie broke off from the group to go help her while Jean continued onwards to HQ, the group of cadets following him. For now, he would be their leader.

Unfortunately, Mikasa wasn't the only one who ran out of gas.

As the cadets grew more confident and began to split apart to reach HQ a different way, a couple of them plummeted to the Titan-infested streets below. Seeing the fallen soldiers as easy meals, Titans of various sizes charged at them, jaws wide open and arms outstretched.

Jean, who landed on a nearby rooftop, could only watch in horror at the carnage that was about to commence.

"Tom, hold on!" a cadet cried out, jumping into the fray.

"We're coming!" Vaughn exclaimed, joining them.

"Vaughn, no!" Dillon shouted, about to charge in himself.

Jean held him back. "Don't! It's too late."

Dillon's eyes widened as an eight-meter snatched Vaughn out of the air, snapping his spine in half. He was killed instantly, his body going completely limp in its grip. The soldier they went to save, Tom, was bitten in half, his blood coursing down the hand of his devourer.

 _Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!_ A feeling of rage coursed through Dillon's body. They were dying down there and there was nothing he could do. He was still too weak to try anything drastic. His hand turned into a tight fist as he listened to the death throes of the cadets, begging for help. The worst one was seeing a girl get her arms torn off as she screamed in agony. They were taking their sweet time eating her, and they had to listen to it too.

Jean, who was watching the scene with him, came to a cruel truth and he shouted it to the others. "Let's go! Make a break for HQ while they're distracted!"

Snapping out of his stupor and brushing away his tears, Dillon followed Jean without looking back. If he did…he'd probably do something stupid. The others trailed behind him, ready to be done with this horrible day.

"Thanks for stopping me," Dillon said.

"Trust me, I wanted to go down there too," Jean replied, "but there's nothing we could've done. Give it everything you got!" He made sure he shouted that to the others.

As they got closer to Headquarters, they had to use their ODM Gear to get past a group of Titans that were waiting for them. Jean got caught by a Titan, but a quick slice of the ring finger allowed him to escape and keep going.

"We're so close, guys!" Dillon yelled, running on a rooftop. "This is the final stretch! Don't stop for anything!" _Or anyone._

Never in all their lives did the cadets try so hard to get to safety. The building was practically an arm's stretch away…with at least a dozen Titans between them. The soldiers' numbered began to dwindle as the creatures managed to catch them with their hands, or run out of gas at an ill opportune time. Ignoring their screams, they pressed onwards.

Finally, the window drew near and Dillon used the rest of his gas to reach it. Shielding his hands and face, he smashed into and through the window, landing unceremoniously on the ground. Several other smashes indicated that more of the cadets made it as well. He had to move out of the way as a few went through the same opening he made. At long last, they arrived where they needed too.

"Dillon, you all right?" Franz asked, helping him up.

He nodded. "I'm alive. That's all that matters. Where's-?"

"I'm here," Hannah answered, walking towards them.

Dillon sighed with relief, especially when he saw that Annie was one of the cadets that made it. "Thank God."

The sound of a punch impacting someone's head caught their attention. The remaining members of Squad 31, and everyone else, saw Jean standing over an unconscious soldier, fuming with rage. Said soldier happened to be part of the supply team that never did their job to help them when they needed it most.

"Jean, stop!" Marco exclaimed, holding him back.

"You cowards!" the teen roared. "You left us out there on our own! People are dead because you didn't have the guts to do your job!"

"The Titans were coming at us from every angle!" a female soldier tearfully wailed, shielding her fellow comrade from further harm. She was almost incoherent when she spoke. "They drove us out of the supply room, okay!?"

"It's your job to deal with it and back us up anyway!" he shot back.

Suddenly, they were cut off from an unearthly roar. It sounded like a howling wind containing the souls of the damned. The Titans were not finished with them yet.

"Hit the deck!" a cadet shouted as a wall exploded, sending that cadet flying down the hallway.

Two Titans smashed their heads into the building, attempting to eat whatever came near to them. Panicking, the soldiers attempted to flee for the exits, but there were so many of them, it was a jumbled mess.

"Annie, do you still have your boot knifes?" Dillon asked, pulling them out.

"Yes, but we're not gonna kill them that way," she responded.

"We're not going to kill them. We're going to buy some-!"

He was cut off as a giant fist slammed into the Titans' head, sending them flying away from the building.

Dillon's jaw dropped at the sight of their savior. It was a 15-meter Titan with green eyes and pointed ears like an elf. He wasn't trying to attack the soldiers; he was going after the Titans that were attacking them.

"Did…did that just happen?" Dillon asked.

"Yes, it did," Annie replied, equally shocked.

A window smashing caught their attention. They looked to see Mikasa, Armin, and Connie entering the building scratched up, but alive.

Jean was the first to say something to them. "Mikasa…you're-"

"Man, that was a close one," Connie interrupted, sounding a little excited. "I was running on fumes. We made it here, though. It was crazy, but we did."

"I'm happy to see you guys, but how the hell did you all make it?" Dillon asked.

Connie started patting Armin on the back, a wide grin forming on his face. "You're a certified genius! As far as I'm concerned, your word is law." Finally, the bald cadet looked up at them. "Check it out! We found an Abnormal that's got a bone to pick with its own kind. And the best part? He couldn't care less about us! That's right, you heard me! This big, beautiful S.O.B. is our ticket out of here!"

Jean looked at him as if he was insane. "Are you serious? A Titan's not gonna help us. You're out of mind if you think this can work."

"It _is_ working," Mikasa shot back. "For whatever reason, he's rampaging against them. Stand back and let him do it. Trust me. You'll see. Either way, what choice do we have? Right now, that thing is our best chance at survival."

The Titan, which they would later call the Rogue Titan, gave a loud roar, drawing the Titans closer to it.

"It did save our lives," Dillon reminded him.

Jean brushed his hands through his hair, trying to come to grips with everything, so he just gave a frustrated grunt and headed towards the exit along with everyone else.

Mikasa, Armin, and Connie followed him, but before Dillon left, he looked over his shoulder and saw Annie staring at the Titan intently.

"Thinking about asking him out?" he teased.

Annie rolled her eyes and turned around. "Just wanted to make sure that Connie wasn't mistaken about his assumption."

"If he is, we'll take care of it," Dillon assured.

"Ever the optimist, aren't you?" she commented, walking with him towards the exit.

"I try to be," he said, "even when things are looking bleak."

"You're not blaming yourself for what happened today, are you?"

Dillon shook his head. "No one could've predicted what happened today. I did the best I could and even pushed past some of my limits. No soldier should do less." Despite those words, he was still shaken up over what happened, and Annie could see he was desperately trying to hold it together.

"Just a little longer, Dillon," she assured. "Hang in there."

Taking a deep breath, he responded with a simple, "I will."

They entered a room where the lift had descended into the refueling station. According to the others, Armin and a few other cadets went down there to see how many Titans occupied the area while Jean took a few others to go look for some guns. For now, they could rest.

Annie joined Reiner and Connie, the latter continued gushing about how amazing the Rogue Titan was. Dillon would've made to join him, but noticed Bertholdt was sitting in the corner alone. With a sigh, the blacksmith walked over to him.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked politely.

"I thought you'd want to be with Annie," Bertholdt replied.

"I figured we could talk for a bit," Dillon said.

He paused for a moment before relenting. "Fine."

Satisfied, Dillon sat down next to him. "Bertholdt…I've noticed you've been giving me dark looks lately. What's going on?"

"Didn't Reiner already tell you?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing.

"Maybe, but I want to hear it from you," Dillon responded. "Bertholdt, I consider you my friend, and when a friend of mine is upset with me, I have the right to know why."

With a sigh, Bertholdt admitted it. "I wanted to tell her so many times…but I didn't."

"Why not?"

"Because…I didn't know how she would react," he confessed sadly. "I…doubted she felt the same way, and I thought it would upset her."

Dillon phrased his words carefully. "Look, Bertholdt…I'm sorry things didn't work out for you…but I'm not sorry for becoming Annie's boyfriend. I hate to say it, but you need to get over it."

Bertholdt didn't respond, just sitting there in silence.

Dillon decided it was best to leave him where he was a return to Annie. Just as he did that, Jean's team returned with crates of rifles while Armin's team came back from their scouting mission.

"Good news!" Jean announced, putting down the crate he was holding and opening it. "Courtesy of the Military Police." He let out a couple of coughs. "And covered with a layer of dust."

As Armin laid out a map of the refueling station, Jean cleaned out the rifle and checked to see if it was still functional. Once the inspection was complete, Jean asked, "Are you sure buckshot is the way to go? Seems like we might as well throw spit wads. Come on, guys. Are guns even effective?"

"I don't know, but they're bound to be better than nothing," Armin answered as he presented his plan. "We're looking at seven Titan in the supply room of the four meters tall variety. If we time this perfectly, this much ammo ought to be enough to do the trick. Step 1: we lower a group into the area by a lift to get the Titans' attention. Step 2: when the Titans come within range, the group fires in all four directions simultaneously, blinding them. Then, the hard part. The moment of truth, as it were.

"Before the Titans have enough time to recover, seven of us swoop down from the ceiling and strike their vital regions. That's it. That's the plan. It puts all our lives on the line. If we screw up, we're dead. That's a hell of a risk for one attack, but it's our only chance. Seven people have to slay seven Titans in one blow at the same time. We're gonna need the best of you. The seven soldiers most physically gifted and adept with their parring blades. You'll be the difference between life and death for the rest of us. I'm sorry. That's how it is."

"Seems like a sound plan," Reiner said with a smirk.

"When you get right down to it, the risk is the same for everyone," Annie pointed out. "Doesn't really matter who goes."

Armin started faltering. "Look, I'm, uh…ready to be talked out of this. One half-baked strategy can't be our only option, right?"

Ever the encourager, Marco stepped in. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Come on. With what we're looking at? If this is our only option, it's a well-thought out plan. If we give it our all, we might just pull it off."

"It'll be fun," Mikasa assured. "You just have to be confident. You're a better strategist than you give yourself credit for."

Armin gave her a look of surprise.

"I'm serious. Your mind saved Eren and me more than once."

"When did I ever save you?" he asked, confused. "I never-."

He was cut off by the lift doors opening loudly.

"All right! The lift's ready to go!" Franz announced. "Guns are loaded in the stocks. Let's go kill some Titans."

"You didn't realize it at the time," Mikasa explained, helping him up. "We can talk about it later."

Mikasa, Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Dillon, Connie, and Sasha all volunteered to be the seven soldiers that would take out the Titans. Of course, Annie made sure Dillon was in good enough condition to pull such a feat before letting him join. While the rest of the cadets lowered the lift into the supply room, the group of seven filed down the stairs.

"So, I'm gonna ask the obvious question," Connie informed them. "Can we do this without ODM gear?"

"No problem," Reiner assured. "These guys are only four meters tall. Their weak spots are not that far above eye level."

"Size isn't the issue," Dillon stated. "The spot's still one meter high and 10 centimeters across."

'"Back of the head to the nape of the neck,"' Sasha reiterated.

"Worst comes to worst, you can always shove one of these up their ass," Reiner joked, holding up his sword. "That's the other weak spot."

"Seriously?" Connie asked.

"Did I miss a day of training?" Sasha wondered.

Dillon cracked a grin. "Is there a backstory to that claim, Reiner?"

"Remind me to tell you about one day," he answered.

"And as a bonus, he'll talk out his ass," Annie snarked.

Connie looked at her as if she grew a second head. "Did…did you just make a joke?"

She turned her head and gave him a deadpan expression. "What? Was it not funny?"

His eyes widened in fear and quickly answered unconvincingly, "No, it was hilarious! Ha ha ha! See?"

 _"Okay, that was pretty funny,"_ Dillon admitted.

 _"You could learn a thing or two,"_ Annie pointed out, turning her head back to the front.

 _"Are you implying I'm not funny?"_ he asked.

 _"I'll let you wonder."_

With a snort, he said nothing more on the subject.

The seven grew quiet as they drew closer to the ground floor. Quietly, Mikasa opened the door, signaling the others to follow her cautiously on the walkway. The loud footsteps of the Titans unnerved them, but they remained calm. Everyone was counting on them to succeed. Carefully, the seven soldiers split off, stepping onto different rafters. The timing had to be perfect in order for this to succeed.

Amidst the stomping, they heard the lift getting closer before it came into view.

"Good," Marco whispered. "We're still at seven."

Immediately, all the cadets in the lift pointed their rifles in four directions as planned.

"Okay, nice and easy," Marco continued.

A blonde-haired Titan started walking by, but then it caught their scent. It turned quickly to them, frightening a few of the cadets!

"Don't lose your cool!" Jean exclaimed quickly. "Fire only when they're all within range."

Slowly, the seven Titans approached them, ready to make meals out of them. The soldiers in the rafters waited patiently for the attack to begin. As Marco repeated for them to stay steady, the Titans had them completely surrounded. There was no chance of them escaping. It was do or die.

"Fire!" Marco yelled.

All the guns went off, blinding all seven of them at once. With determination, the seven soldiers launched themselves off the rafters and slashed as hard as they could when they reached their napes. Five Titans fell down dead, but Connie and Sasha didn't cut deep enough on their Titans. Sensing them, the two Titans turned around, looking like they were glaring at them.

"I'm sorry," Sasha said nervously, backing up a lot. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"Oh, crap," Connie swore, terrified.

"Sasha, move!" Dillon shouted.

The brown-haired girl lunged out of the way as the Titan attempted to body slam her. Quickly, Dillon ran to its nape while it was down and delivered several slashes, killing it. Annie got to a higher point and killed Connie's Titan in one precise slash.

"Dillon!" Sasha cried, burying her face into his chest as she cried. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's, uh, all right," Dillon replied uncomfortably. "Um…"

"Get off him, Sasha," Mikasa ordered.

Nodding, she brushed away her tears as she walked away.

"I owe you one," Connie said to Annie.

"No worries," she assured before turning to Dillon. "You only needed one slash."

"I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to get up," he explained.

"Fair enough," she conceded.

"They're all dead!" Jean announced. "Start loading up supplies!"

"It worked!" Armin exclaimed happily.

Marco grinned before falling backwards, nearly fainting. Fortunately, two cadets caught him in time.

Once the lift was lowered to the ground, everyone immediately started refueling their tanks. The ones that finished first kept an eye out for anymore Titans in case more tried to invade their Headquarters. If there were, they'd be ready this time.

Sasha, however, was in the middle of a breakdown. "I caved…in front of the whole gang. I'm never gonna be able to face any of them ever again!"

"Damn it, feel sorry for yourself later," Connie demanded. "Focus on escape."

Dillon rolled his eyes as he filled up the tanks. All that was left was to get over the wall and then it was over. Of course, there was still the hole in the Wall to worry about, but one problem at a time. The fact they had survived this long spoke volumes. He was surrounded by good soldiers, and he wouldn't trade them for anything.

"Almost done?" Annie asked, putting her gear back together.

"Just one more tank," he replied. "It's been a long day."

"It's almost over," she assured. "How's your head?"

"Still healing. Give it a day or two, and I should be back to normal."

Annie kissed him on the lips. "Does that help?"

Dillon grinned. "Maybe another one might do the trick."

Smirking, she gave him another kiss.

"Aw, you two are so cute together," Hannah interrupted.

Dillon sighed, looking at the remaining two members of Squad 31. Normally, he would be irritated, but he was just mildly annoyed this time. "How are you two holding up?"

"We're good," Franz answered. "We've…worked it out."

Hannah nodded in agreement before introducing herself. "I'm Hannah Diament, and you must be Annie Leonhart."

"I remember you two," she replied. "Did Dillon cause you any trouble? He can be a handful."

"Quite the opposite," Franz stated. "He saved our squad earlier today."

Dillon blushed a bit. "It was nothing."

Annie punched him in shoulder. "Don't be so modest, Amsdale. You did good today."

"All right, let's get out of here!" Jean exclaimed.

Once the rest of the tanks were filled, the cadets busted out of HQ, free at last. Many of them made a beeline for the Wall, but some of them saw Mikasa get on another rooftop, staring down at something.

"Mikasa?" Armin asked, joining her. "What are you doing? We have to leave now!"

"Look down there," she said.

His eyes widened in horror as he watched two thirteen-meter Titans pin the Rogue Titan to the Wall. They were chewing on its body, attempting to devour it.

"Cannibalism?" Armin questioned as the Titan roared in pain. "Can it not regenerate like the others?"

"This sounds stupid, but I was hoping he'd be the key for us," Mikasa admitted. "That he'd help mankind break the cycle. Turn the tide long enough just to give us a ray of hope."

"She's right," Reiner agreed as he, Bertholdt, Annie, Jean, and Dillon joined them on the rooftop. "He's too valuable to just let die. There's too much we can learn from him. I think it's perfectly clear should be to get the scavengers off him. He's no good to us picked apart."

"Don't even think about volunteering, Dillon," Annie warned.

"I wasn't going to," he replied.

She gave him a look.

"Anymore."

"Are you out of your mind?" Jean asked. "We have a path out of this nightmare and you wanna stay?"

"Think about it," Annie said. "Having an Abnormal as an ally would be an incredible advantage, right?" _"I mean, we already have one already."_

 _"Love you, too, Shorty,"_ Dillon replied in good fun.

 _"…You are very lucky you're my boyfriend."_ "The cannons have nothing on a Titan that likes to rip apart its own kind."

Jean could not believe what he was hearing. "Do you…hear yourself? You make him sound like a new friend!"

Armin gasped suddenly. "Oh, no. It's the one that ate Thomas."

As if he heard them, the Rogue Titan charged at the blond-haired Titan, roaring loudly. Its arms were pulled apart by the two that were chomping at him, but he still ran for that Titan. He fastened his teeth around its nape and lifted it up in the air by its jaw alone. A crunching sound indicated that he crushed its weak point, killing it. Seeing a Titan coming for him, he tossed the lifeless body in it, knocking it into a building.

"Holy shit," Jean whispered. "What was that you were saying?"

With a final roar, the gravely wounded Rogue Titan fell on its knees and crashed to the ground, seemingly dead.

"Because I think it's a moot point now," Jean finished. "All right, enough of this. Let's go while we still can. We're lucky the ugly bastard didn't get bored. We'd have been next on the menu."

"Whoa!" Dillon exclaimed, staggering back.

The brown-haired boy got a closer look. "What? What's wrong?"

The blacksmith simply pointed at the body, and like the others, their eyes were widening.

Something was pulling itself out of the nape, something…human. The flesh did not want to release him, but after a good pull, the pieces were detached. Amidst the steam the corpse was emitting, they could see a brown-haired boy that they all recognized.

"Is that…Eren?" Dillon asked quietly.

Mikasa launched herself down there despite Armin calling out to her. She ran towards him and embraced him to moment she got close enough. She held Eren against her for the longest time before feeling something. Lowering her head to his chest, she could hear…his heartbeat. He was alive!

Her composure shattered within seconds as Mikasa began to weep loudly. She wept for losing Eren, she wept for finding him, and she wept for knowing that his life had been changed forever.

The others only had one question on their minds: how was this possible?

* * *

 **AN: Leave reviews please!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: A Chance to Strike Back

 _"Eren Yeager the Titan. And here I thought I was special, but low and behold, Yeager surpassed me in that regard. I can only wonder what the hell happened to make him turn into one of those things. According to Armin, he lost his leg and arm before he was devoured by a Titan, so he had regeneration abilities like a Titan. Wish I had regeneration. Would go well with my powers._

 _"Naturally, the whole event spooked the Garrison Troops, so they planned on "interrogating" Eren about whether he was human or not, and whether he was a threat to humanity or not. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. Over 100 years of Titans killing them and considering that the Invasion of Trost had been so recent, tensions were extremely high. That being said, their version of interrogating meant a bullet to Eren's head, and that was something the human race couldn't avoid to let happen._

 _"_ I _couldn't let that happen."_

* * *

There were certain situations Dillon never expected to be in. He didn't expect to rank five in the 104th. He didn't expect to be attacked by Titans just after graduation. Most of all, he didn't expect to be literally up against the wall with several squads of Garrison Troops surrounding him, along with Mikasa, Armin, and an unconscious Eren.

After the cadets made it over the wall, the soldiers who witnessed the whole thing slapped a gag order on them all under threat of being charged with treason. At first, Dillon followed the others to get some rest for a bit, but then he thought about the whole situation. Due to the paranoia of the soldiers, it was possible they were planning on killing Eren, thus losing the best asset they could get right now. So, after making sure Annie wasn't watching, he went back where Mikasa and Armin were trying to protect Eren. If things went south, he could mind blast the lot of soldiers and give them the chance to get away. If it turned out Eren was hostile, he would bring him down hard.

"You need all the help you can get," he had explained to the two when they asked why he stuck around. "Besides, I might be to talk these guys down."

In the back of his mind, he knew he had a better chance fighting a horde of Titans alone than trying to solve this problem diplomatically. Captain Weilman was back, and currently, Dillon despised the man to no end. According to a few survivors from Headquarters, Weilman actually fled when the Titans were getting closer, and when they tried to stop him, he threatened to kill them on ground of treason.

 _A paranoid coward._ Dillon thought with a sneer on his lips. _I think there's a nice hole waiting for you after this._

Then, he heard a voice speaking softly and menacingly. "This isn't your world. Not anymore."

The three cadets looked to see Eren with his eyes half open and with a disturbing smile on his face.

"Eren?" Armin whispered, kneeling down next to him. "Can you hear me?"

"I'll kill every last one of you," the maniac continued. "Get up. Get up. Let me kill you again and again."

Judging by the looks on the soldiers' faces, they were hearing every single word coming out of his mouth.

"You're mine now. You're all gonna die," he finished with an unsettling chuckle.

Dillon let out an audible groan. _Well…we're dead._

Even Armin was horrified by those words. "Uh…Eren?"

Coming out of his delirium, Eren let out a painful moan as he held his head. "Ugh…Armin…what…?" His eyes widened and let out a gasp when he saw the soldiers, whose terror increased exponentially by his damning words.

Mikasa, who was standing protectively in front of them, turned her head to him. "Eren, are you all right?"

Armin shook him a little. "Look at me. Eren, can you move? Can you hear me? Say something!"

He didn't respond, still in his dazed state.

"Listen, you've got to tell them everything," Armin pleaded. "They're terrified, but they'll understand."

Eren spoke softly, still weak from the experience. "Armin, what-?"

"Did you hear that?" one of the soldiers asked. "He said we're all gonna die!"

"There's not much else you can make of that," another soldier added unhelpfully. "Son of a bitch wants to eat us. You watch."

"What the hell are they talking about?" Eren demanded, shocked by their reactions to him. "What is this? Why are all their blades pointed at us? Those are meant for taking out Titans! What's going on?"

"Eren, calm down!" Dillon ordered quietly but urgently.

At long last, Weilman spoke. "Cadets Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, and Dillon Amsdale! The four of you have jointly committed an act of high treason! Whether or not a swift execution is the result of your actions depends on you!"

Eren was deep in the bowels of confusion by now. "What?"

The captain went on. "Any attempt to move from where you're standing, anything I deem to be the least bit suspicious-"

 _Which will be anything at this point._ Dillon thought to himself.

"-will be met with cannon fire! Do you understand me!?"

The cadets looked to their left and saw a cannon positioned on top of roof facing down at them. They were not taking any chances.

"Answer carefully!" Weilman ordered, getting their attention. "Eren Yeager…what exactly are you? Human…or Titan!?"

Eren looked up at the captain in shock. "I'm sorry, sir! I don't understand!"

"Son of a bitch is playing innocent," Weilman growled. "Answer the question, damn you! Evasion will get you nowhere! Don't try to stall by claiming ignorance! Do that again and you'll be blown the hell away before you can assume your true form!"

"What true from?"

He was getting very irritated. "Please, scores of us saw it happen! You emerged from the carcass of a fallen Titan in full view of your comrades A creature of unknown origin, ability, or allegiance has slipped through and infiltrated Wall Rose, and that creature is _YOU!_ "

Mikasa gripped her swords tightly. She was so tempted to cut this man's head off.

"Under the circumstances, your being sanctioned by His Majesty is neither here nor there. You are a risk, and I'm well within my rights to eliminate!" Somehow, he was getting louder. "I will not let this situation stand! Every moment I squander mulling over your supposed innocence would put us all in jeopardy from another attack by the Armored Titan! Hell, for all I know, you're a tactical diversion specifically for that purpose! I'm sorry!" He actually did look apologetic for a moment. "Humanity's life hangs in the balance! I cannot waste any more time or manpower on you! Do you understand!? My conscious will not falter to watch you die!"

Dillon clenched his fists. He was unbearably tempted to accuse Weilman of leaving the cadets in Headquarters to die, but he knew it would make the situation worse and more volatile than it already was. Fortunately, Mikasa was there to do just that.

"Excuse me," she interrupted, getting their attention by drawing her swords. "I wouldn't. Not while I'm standing. Unless anyone's feeling up to the task, in which case, well…I'm happy to demonstrate my own technique…on you, and every last inch of your traitorous flesh."

"I've got a better idea, Mikasa," Dillon stated in a sarcastic tone, catching everyone's attention. "Why don't you cut our heads off, and then stab yourself with a sword? I guarantee you'll get the exact same results in a shorter time, _dumbass!"_

The Oriental turned around, glaring at him. "No one asked for your opinion, Amsdale!"

"Then take this fact," he stated through gritted teeth. "You're making the situation worse."

"Guys, stop," Armin begged quietly. "This isn't the time for this. Listen, Mikasa, they're just scared. We need to calm down and talk it out."

"Enough of this!" Weilman exclaimed. "Eren Yeager, one more time! Are you a human being or a Titan!?"

The three cadets turned to Eren, waiting for his answer.

Taking a deep breath, he declared, "I'm human!"

The soldiers went silent as a soft wind blew by.

Weilman broke it by letting out a sigh. "So you say. You leave me no choice."

To the cadets' horror, he began to raise his hand into the air to signal the cannon to fire.

Eyes widening, Mikasa dropped her swords and picked up Eren. "Armin, Dillon, head for the Wall! I've got Eren!"

Making his decision, Dillon looked at the two soldiers operating the cannon and flashed his eyes.

In one second, the two men collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from their face as they screamed in pain. He only burst a few capillaries, so they would be fine provided they got medical treatment.

"What the hell is going on up there!?" Weilman demanded, hearing their screams.

"Sir, there's blood coming out of their noses and ears!" a soldier near the fallen men yelled back. "I can't tell what caused this!"

Dillon turned to the others. "Guys, we have to-!"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as the world exploded around him.

* * *

(Three minutes earlier)

Right now, Connie was finishing up telling Ymir and Krista what happened recently, minus the Rogue Titan bit. "If we hadn't found the gas, we'd have never gotten out of Trost. Basically, we got lucky that's it."

"That sounds terrible," Krista replied, her shoulders slumping. "I'm so sorry. We volunteered to run supplies out to everyone, but the situation was so bad."

"We even found some gas we were gonna dole out to you guys," Ymir added, "but then everything went to hell."

Krista hesitated to ask, but she knew she had to. "So…you're saying everyone who isn't here now is…you know…?"

Connie bowed his head in remorse. "Yeah."

Ymir gave a sad sigh, but then noticed someone was missing. "Wait, what about Mikasa?"

"Uh…no-no. She's good," he quickly assured. "She came in afterwards with the group Jean led."

"Hey, Jean, where in the world is Mikasa?" Ymir called out to him. "Did she get hurt, or what?"

The brown-haired teen didn't answer, continuing to stare at nothing.

"Hey, talk to us!" Connie pleaded, concerned.

Jean took a long gulp of water and responded with, "I'd tell you if I could, but they slapped us with a gag order."

Connie's eyes widened. "Whoa, you're not joking…right?"

Ymir was also surprised. "That's nuts."

Jean scoffed. " _They're_ nuts if they think people aren't gonna talk. Word will get out, and when it does…" He let out a sigh. "Well, that is…if we survive."

Nearby, Marco was trying to help another cadet, Daz, who was going through a complete breakdown.

"Those things," he cried, tears streaming down his face. "They just kept coming. It's a nightmare."

"Hey, take it easy," Marco urged gently.

Daz grabbed him by the shirt, getting hysterical. "I watched my squad get eaten! I watched my friends die and I didn't feel anger or sadness about the whole thing! All I could think was…'better you than me!"' He gripped his head as if it was about to explode. "But soon, they're gonna send us back out there. They're gonna send us out there to fight until the Titans eat every last one of us!" At this point, he was screaming wildly. "I DON'T WANT TO BE EATEN!"

As he pulled out he sword to try and kill himself, Marco wrapped his arms around him, restraining him from doing that. "Hey, keep it together, okay!? You're not alone, you know. We're all fighting back our fear." He jerked him over so that he could see Sasha, who had her head down while sitting some stairs. "Look at Sasha! Even after all she's seen, she remains a proper soldier!"

As if she was waiting for him to say that, Sasha bent over and let out a painful scream. At first, Marco was worried that the trauma caught up with her, but he was caught off guard by what she said.

"Oh, my stomach aches. Cart me off with the wounded."

The two cadets just stared at her for a moment, wondering if she was being serious, before Daz tried again to kill himself. Marco was forced to pin him to the ground and twist his arm back, keeping him away from his sword.

Jean, who was watching the debacle, sighed. "Ordering us to keep our mouth shut makes perfect sense now. As if the situation wasn't bad enough already. If they knew about Eren-"

His mutterings were interrupted by an explosion that shook the ground.

That caught everyone's attention as they stared in the direction it came from, trying to figure out what happened.

"Cannon fire!?" Jean questioned, confused. "But…why fire one shot?"

"Look, smoke!" a cadet cried out, pointing at the growing, gray fume. "It's inside the Wall!"

The soldiers began to panic at the thought of a Titan breaching another Wall. Many of them were throwing around theories about what could have happened, and some wanted to make a break for it before they were eaten. Deciding to be more productive, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie grappled onto the top of the houses, making their way towards the commotion. Annoyed by their actions and curious to see what the hell was going on, Jean quickly followed them.

It took just over a minute for them to reach the source of the smoke, which was the area where they were forced to leave Eren, and what they saw dumbfounded them.

Reiner asked the question that was on everyone's minds. "What the hell is that?"

Amidst the shroud of smoke and steam, there was a half-formed Titan sitting there. Its bones were completely exposed and there were only scatterings of flesh on its body. To add the disturbing display before them, the Titan started moving a little, freaking out the soldiers that were there.

"Maintain your distance!" Weilman ordered, on the verge of panicking again. "All squads remain alert! It can strike at any time! Artillery crew, get that cannon reloaded!"

Suddenly, something caught Annie's eye as she heard coughing coming from within the smoke cover. Squinting her eyes to get a better look, she saw someone in there, staring at the Titan in awe. She got a little closer, and then her eyes widened when she saw who it was…before they narrowed into a glare she hadn't used in a very long time.

 _You'd better hope those soldiers shoot you, Dillon, because I'm going to kill you!_

* * *

The blacksmith in question gulped when he heard that threat and he knew she would try and make good on it. That being said, there was a greater concern at the moment, like how the four of them were gonna get out of there alive.

When the explosion happened, he blacked out for the briefest of moments, but when he came to, this skeletal Titan was looming over him, almost as if it was…protecting him and the other two. This was a really weird day, and he didn't want it to end with a bullet for each of them. He noticed the Titan was slowly dissolving, so their cover would be gone soon.

"Armin, Mikasa, Dillon!" Eren cried out once he excavated himself from the nape of the half-formed beast. "Are you guys all right!?"

Armin looked at him with wide eyes. "Eren…how'd you-?"

"I don't know," he answered, "but look. It's already starting to vaporize just like the corpse of a Titan."

"Which means we have to come up with a plan and fast," Dillon said, getting over his shock quicker than the others. "The soldiers are still waiting for us out there and this cover's not gonna last."

"I'm sure they'll resume the attack once it's gone," Eren agreed, looking at the Titan corpse. "After seeing this, I think we've blown any hope of reasoning with them." He pulled out a key that kept hidden inside his shirt. "The cellar. I'm starting to remember. This key…our house in Shiganshina. He said I had to go back there. Everything hinged on it. I think that's why he gave me the power to transform."

"Who's he?" Dillon asked, trying to understand what the hell he was talking about.

"His dad," Armin whispered.

"If I can make it back to our cellar," Eren continued, "I might learn the Titans' secrets!" Grunting with frustration, he slammed his fist into the disintegrating bones of the corpse, cracking. "Why did he keep this secret? How many thousands of Scouts died because my father didn't share this information!? It could be the last chance humanity has! And the answer's been hidden away in our house the whole time? Is he-?"

"Eren, stop!" Dillon interrupted, approaching the three. "We have to focus on the fact that the Garrison troops are still there."

The four heard some shouting before the skull of the Titan detached from the neck, smashing to pieces once it hit the ground. From it, smoke erupted, encasing the entire area in that dark fog.

"Well, that just bought us some time," Dillon muttered.

"Listen," Eren stated. "I'm getting out of here."

Armin's eyes widened. "Where? And how?"

"Anywhere but here," he responded. "I'm gonna head over the Wall and then straight to Shiganshina, but I'll have to become a Titan again."

"You can transform at will?" Armin wondered.

Eren sighed. "To be honest, I don't know how I'm doing it, Armin. I just know that I can. It's hard to put into words, but it was like…reflexive. In that moment, my mind subconsciously focused on stopping the cannonball. That's why it's decaying. It only had the endurance to meet that task." He was panting, getting tired, but he was more determined than ever to do this. "Next time, I'll be stronger. I'll be a fifteen-meter Titan just like before."

"Eren, your nose is bleeding!" Mikasa interrupted with concern.

"Your breathing is erratic and you're pale," Armin added. "Something's wrong, Eren. You're not well."

"As things stand, my health is irrelevant," he shot back. "But I have two ideas: you three could make it out of here alive if you stop trying to protect me. I've brought you nothing but trouble as it is, so I'm doing this on my own from this point forward."

"You're kidding," Armin said with a gasp.

"Eren, I'm coming, too," Mikasa stated.

"No way," Eren replied.

"I plan to follow you whether you give me permission to or not," she swore. "I swear I'll never leave your side."

"Mikasa, stop it. I'm being serious here!" he exclaimed. "I'm not your little brother, and I'm not some snot-nosed toddler!"

Taking a deep breath, Dillon spoke up. "I can get us all out of here in one piece."

Now he had their attention.

"How?" Mikasa asked, doubting his claims.

"You three saw those two men crumble to the ground, bleeding from their faces," he explained. "That wasn't divine intervention; that was me."

The trio stared at him, flabbergasted.

"That's…impossible!" Eren exclaimed in disbelief.

With a sigh, Dillon levitated a small piece of bone so they could see it, causing their eyes to widen further. "I can attack the minds of people and Titans, I can set up links that allow us to talk mentally, and I can levitate small objects for a short period of time." Dropping the bone, he looked straight at Eren. "It's enough for us to escape."

The green-eyed teen stared back at him, trying to see if Dillon was being sincere in wanting to help. The two had almost never gotten along, but here he was, offering to save him despite knowing what he was. Then again, the blacksmith had abnormal abilities of his own, so it was something they had in common. If there was one thing he never doubted about Dillon, it was his heart. He always wanted to do the right thing no matter what. And to him, the right thing was saving him from execution.

"If you think that there's a chance for humanity's salvation in that cellar of yours, then take it!" Dillon stated firmly.

Eren let out a sigh. "I said I had two options." He turned his attention to the blond-haired boy. "Armin, I trust you to make the right decision."

If Armin wasn't completely shocked before, he was now. "W-What?"

"Now hear me out," Eren continued, "and yes, I'm aware of how unrealistic this plan is. Best case scenario, I try to use my Titan abilities strategically, under military direction. This might sound crazy…but if you think you can convince the Garrison Regiment right here and now, that I present no threat to them, I'll trust you and we'll go with that option. That's my second idea. If you don't think you can get it done, then my last resort is the first idea, though with Dillon's help, we might be able to escape after all."

In the distance, they could hear the cannon being aimed again at their position.

"You've got fifteen seconds to decide," Eren stated. "Think you can get it done?"

"Listen, I'll respect your opinion either way."

"Eren, why would you leave such a major decision up to me?" Armin asked quietly. "Besides, Dillon would be much better at it."

Said teen shook his head. "Not in this case. I can't convince a squad of terrified soldiers to lower their weapons. Mom could do it, but I'm not her."

"And besides, you keep a level head," Eren added. "You always choose well no matter how ugly things get. I figure that's worth relying on."

"When have I done that?" Armin wondered.

Eren, for the first time in a very long time, chuckled. "Come on, you do it all the time. Take five years ago. If you hadn't gone to Mr. Hannes for help, Mikasa and I would've been eaten by the Titans."

The rib cage crumbled behind them as if reminding them that time was running out.

"You were the one that came up with the plan to save Krista," Dillon told him. "I could never have done that in the short amount of time we had."

Armin's eyes were watering, truly touched by what his friends thought of him.

Suddenly, they heard a loud click.

"Armin, our time's up!" Eren exclaimed urgently.

Armin bowed his head, mulling it over. _Eren, Mikasa, and Dillon have faith in me to put their lives in my hands, and I have complete trust in the three of them more than anyone else in the world. And that fact alone is all the convincing I need._

With a newfound sense of duty and determination, Armin stood up. "I _will_ persuade them. Trust me. You three just act as nonaggressive as you can. Agreed?"

The three in question nodded their heads.

"Wait!" Dillon's eyes flashed briefly. "I established a mind link with the three of us. If we need to tell each other something, say it mentally."

"Okay." Swiftly, Armin marched through the smoke cover towards the Garrison Regiment.

Dillon sighed, getting prepared. He never mind-blasted four people at once before. He only hoped that he was strong enough to pull that off and be able to run afterwards.

Once Armin stepped out, he raised his hands in surrender as the guns were aimed directly at him.

"Is this supposed to be your true form, monster!?" Weilman demanded, losing it. "I don't buy it! I'll give the signal to fire! I mean it!"

 _Cowardly, paranoid, and stupid._ Dillon thought. _That's an interesting combination._

"Eren is not a foe of humanity!" Armin professed. "We're willing to cooperate with military command and share everything we've learned about his powers!"

"Your pleas fall on deaf ears!" the captain shot back, spit flying out of his mouth. "He revealed his true form and because of that threat he cannot leave here alive! If you insist he's not an enemy of ours, show me proof! Otherwise, we'll blast him back to whatever hole he crawled out of!"

"You don't need any proof!" Armin pointed out desperately. "The fact of the matter is it doesn't matter what we perceive him to be!"

"What!?"

"The reports say hundreds of soldiers saw him," he explained. "And those who were there saw him fighting other Titans…and that means they saw him get swarmed by Titans as well. To put it plainly, the Titans saw him how they see each and every human being: as their _prey!_ And it doesn't matter how else you look at it! That is an irrefutable fact!"

 _Holy crap, that guy is good._ Dillon complemented mentally. _If only Mom could've seen this._

Some of soldiers started lowering their weapons, believing Armin's statements. They realized that he raised a very good point.

Unfortunately, Weilman refused to accept it. "Prepare to attack! Don't let yourselves be swayed by his cunning lies!"

 _You have got to be kidding me!_ All four of them thought.

"The Titans' behavior has always been beyond our comprehension. I wouldn't put it past him to assume human form. He's…speaking our language…in an attempt to deceive us! I refuse to let them continue this behavior anymore!"

Mortified, Armin briefly turned around to the three cadets behind him. They didn't say anything and remained impassive. They were ready for anything. However, Eren gave him a brief nod of encouragement. Gritting his teeth, Armin whirled around and slammed his fist right onto his heart.

"I am a soldier!" he declared. "And I have dedicated my heart to the restoration of humanity, sir! Nothing could make me prouder than to die for such a noble cause! If we were to use his Titan ability and combine it with the manpower we have left, I believe we can do it! We can retake this city! For humanity's glory and what little time I have left to live, I WILL ADVOCATE HIS STRATEGIC VALUE!"

Armin's voice seemed to echo throughout the city it was that loud and powerful. The pride the cadets had for him soared hearing him say all that while facing down the guns pointed right at them.

"Captain Weilman," one of the Squad Leaders said, "his words are worth considering. Maybe we should-."

"QUIET!" Despite all that he heard, Weilman refused to listen to reason. Once again, he began to raise his hand to signal the cannon to fire.

It was as if time slowed down. Eren's hand went for his mouth, Mikasa's hand went for her sword, Armin's eyes widened in horror, and Dillon's eyes began to glow. It was going to be complete chaos in just a few seconds.

Then, a firm hand grabbed Weilman's arm, preventing him from going any further.

"That's enough!" a grave voice stated. "You should really do something about your nervous disposition, Captain Weilman."

Stopping Weilman was a much older gentleman with a bald head and a gray mustache. Unlike the other soldiers, this man was more interested in talking things out.

At first, Dillon was shocked, but, as his eyes returned to normal, a smirk appeared on his face. They were saved.

"C-Commander Pixis," Weilman stuttered.

Pixis moved past him and stared at Armin, who somehow managed to stay still with his hand still on his chest. "Can you not see this soldier's heartfelt salute? I've only just arrived, and I'm quite aware of our situation. Gather our reinforcements. I think we can give these young soldiers the favor of hearing them out."

Armin's response was to sink to his knees, a relieved smile on his face.

"Cadets, I would like to have a word you on top of the Wall in ten minutes," he stated. "Should be enough time to get some water. You look thirsty."

"Th-thank you, sir," Armin stuttered, feeling like he was about to faint.

Deciding to face her wrath now, Dillon zoomed up to the adjacent rooftop to await Annie. Sure enough, she cleared the gap, and she was far from happy with him.

"You complete and utter dumbass!" she raged, getting right in his face. "Are you trying to get yourself killed!"

"No!" Dillon answered. _"I was going to mind blast the cannon crew and the riflemen in case things went south."_

Her eyes widened when his message hit her mind, but she let out a huff. "You thought you could help them somehow, didn't you?" _"Why couldn't you have just done that from a vantage point?"_

"Eren is the best chance we have at surviving," he explained. "If I had to, I would've done everything I could to save him." _"And if he was a threat…well, I would've been close enough to take care of him quickly."_

She raised an eyebrow at that mental statement, but she didn't comment on it.

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what I was doing. I jumped the gun too soon, and I didn't think about how much it would affect you. I just-"

"Wanted to do the right thing," Annie finished for him. "I get it. I really do." She grabbed him by the collar and jerked him down to her level, speaking in that low, dangerous tone that sent shivers down his spine. "But pull a stunt like that again without telling me first, and I'm going to break your ribs with a hammer, and that's just the beginning. Got it?"

Gulping, Dillon nodded rapidly. "I promise!"

Satisfied, Annie embraced him tightly. "I'm glad you're safe."

"So am I," he replied, hugging her back. _But for how long?_

* * *

Nine minutes later, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and Dillon all approached Commander Pixis, giving him a salute. Up here, all four of them were safe from anyone like Captain Weilman.

"Let's take a stroll for a bit," he requested, walking down the path on the Wall while sipping something out his plastic flask.

Quietly, the cadets followed him.

 _"Hey, can you guys still hear me?"_ Dillon asked.

 _"Yeah,"_ Eren answered. _"What is it?"_

 _"Don't worry about Commander Pixis,"_ he assured. _"He's a good and reasonable man."_

 _"You sound like you know him,"_ Mikasa pointed out.

 _"Met him once when I was nine,"_ Dillon explained. _"Can't remember off the top of my head the circumstances, but it had something to do with one of my mom's cases. He said something about me having potential, and left. He's weird, but Mom thinks well of him."_

Pixis turned to the edge of the Wall and looked down. Below him was a horde of Titans, arms outstretched towards him and jaws wide. The commander simply clicked his tongue, sounding disappointed. "Nope, not any of you. Eaten by a Titan wouldn't be so bad…if it was a sexy lady one."

 _Right, because gender is very important when your being grinded into mush._ Dillon thought, shaking his head in annoyance.

Taking another sip of his drink, Pixis turned around. "Now, tell me what this is all about."

So, Eren began to divulge his life story as fast as he could, about how his father somehow turned him into a Titan after the fall of Wall Maria, and how he had the key to the basement which contained the secrets of the Titans.

"And that's that," Pixis said once he finished explaining. "So, visiting this cellar should clear everything up?"

"Yes, sir," Eren answered. "Well, at least I think so."

"For the moment, there is no way to validate all of the claims you've made." Pixis turned his head and pointed at his head. "For now, I'll just catalog them in here. With that said, I can usually tell the difference between the disputable and the sincere…which is why I personally guarantee your safety."

The cadets breathed sighs of relief.

The commander's eyes landed on Armin. "You're Cadet Armin Arlert. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," he responded, saluting.

"You mentioned the plan to harness this so-called Titan ability and then utilize your friend's power to retake the city," Pixis pointed out. "Do you believe it could work, or were you grasping at straws trying to save your hides?"

"Well…both, Commander!" Armin admitted. "I was going to suggest that Eren, using his strength as a Titan, to lift that giant boulder."

 _"What giant boulder?"_ Dillon asked.

 _"There's a giant boulder that crashed into the city,"_ Mikasa explained quickly.

"We could use it to block off the Titans' entry point." Armin let out a sigh. "That was the best idea I could come up with on the spot. I just wanted to make everyone see how Eren's ability might provide a solution to the problem we all face."

Pixis simply turned around, thinking about his solution.

"Granted, I was pretty desperate to survive," he admitted.

'"Desperate to survive,' huh?" Pixis repeated as he continued drinking. "That's as credible a reason as any, son." Wiping his mouth from any traces of drink, he walked to Eren and kneeled to his level. "What do you say, Cadet Yeager?"

"Say, sir?" Eren asked, confused.

"That hole," he elaborated. "Do you think that you can plug it up, son?"

Eren hesitated to give a definite answer. "Well, I…I don't know. It's possible…but at the moment, I don't understand my power any more than you do. It's just I feel that any answer I give would be irresponsible…because I don't know."

"Ah, yes. Of course. My apologies. I asked you the wrong question," Pixis replied with sincerity, before a serious look invaded him. "Are you willing to, Cadet Yeager, or not?"

His green eyes widened as he felt the responsibility of the task come crashing down on him. Subtlety, Pixis gestured behind him and Eren looked back. So many houses with people living with them, and so much life that were contained in just Wall Rose alone. If he failed his duty, then every single person within Wall Rose would die. He made an oath to protect and serve humanity, and he couldn't let his doubts get in the way of that.

"I'll do it," Eren promised. "I'll do it! I don't know if I can seal that hole, but…I'll do it."

Pixis grinned, patting his soldiers. "Excellently said. You have the heart of a lion." He walked to another part of the wall and yelled, "Staff Officers, up! We have a plan to flesh out!"

Armin's eyes widened. "Wait, we can't actually be going forward with this-?"

"Armin, it's a good plan. Stop doubting it," Dillon interrupted, having enough. "If Pixis believes in your plan and Eren, then we're going through with it."

"He seems like a guy who knows what he's doing," Eren agreed. "He has it all under control, like he has a bird's eye view of the situation. Either way, we've got a another problem to deal with before we can get your plan off the ground, and my gut tells me the commander's keenly aware of it."

"Which would be?" Armin wondered.

"Titans aren't our only foe," he stated.

Before they could ask him to elaborate, Pixis interrupted them. "Look sharp, soldiers!"' He was back with several officers behind him. "The fate of mankind rests on your shoulders."

The cadets thought the same thing: _No pressure._

* * *

"ATTENTION!"

The soldiers that had been gathered at the base of wall were instantly silenced by the commander's shout.

"Take note," Pixis ordered. "The blueprint of the Trost Recovery Operation is this: our primary objective is to reseal the hole. Yes, you heard right. What's more, it will be done manually."

That caused several mutterings that doubted his claims.

"As for how the task will be done," he went on, indicating Eren, "that's where this fellow comes in. Allow me to introduce Cadet Eren Yeager!"

The teen simply gave a salute in response.

Dillon allowed himself another smirk as he thought about what the rest of the 104th was thinking right now.

"Don't let appearances fool you!" Pixis warned. "This young man is in fact the successful product of cutting edge science. Fantastic as this may sound, Cadet Yeager possesses the ability to fabricate and control a Titan body at will. Recall the massive boulder roughly a league from the gate. Having assumed Titan form, Cadet Yeager will hold said boulder on his back, take it to the hole, and voilà! And this is where you all come in! Your job will be to defend him. Yes, defend a Titan against its own kind."

"They're lying!" Daz screeched out from below. "I'm not gonna be drawn into sacrificing myself for this crap! We're just disposable tools to you people! You expect us to live and die by whatever comes out of your mouth!?"

This caused a domino effect where a sizable section of soldiers all started muttering their disbelief of this situation and started walking away. Some were too emotionally compromised to deal with this anymore, and others wanted to spend what time they thought they had left with their families.

Naturally, Weilman's response helped no one. "Traitors! I'll shoot you all where you stand!"

 _If this keeps up, there's gonna be a riot on our hands._ Dillon thought with worry.

Pixis once again called for attention. "Anyone who wishes to leave…will by my personal order not be charged with treason! Those who have seen a Titan firsthand will not be expected to revisit such horror again! Whomever this applies to, you may leave with my blessing. Additionally, anyone with family or loved ones they would spare from the same problem may also leave. The crown will continue to recognize your service. Thank you, and good luck!"

The soldiers that were prepared to leave stopped dead in their tracks before turning back around and fell back into formation. They did not want to leave their loved ones to suffer at the hands of those monsters.

The commander went on. "Now, think back four years ago, namely the operation to retake Wall Maria!"

Dillon snorted. _Is that what they called it?_

"I bring it up because you all deserve to have your suspicions confirmed. Officially, we labeled it reconnaissance, but, in fact, as probably most of you know, it was little more than a purge. A thinly disguised exercise in population control. We knew this in our hearts. Of course we did, but we turned a blind eye. We supported the state-sponsored myth because the deaths of our fellow human beings allowed us to survive, pure and simple.

"The guilt is ours, and we share the blame. All of us. The citizens of Wall Maria sustained themselves on the wholesale slaughter of the refugees who'd flown to us for help, but turnabout is fair play, is it not? If Wall Maria succumbs, the population will fall by a whole other order of magnitude. The lands comprising Wall Sina would only support half the people now living. If we're wiped off the face of the Earth, the culprits will not have been the Titans, let me assure you. No, no, we'll have done it to ourselves! If the line isn't drawn now, it won't be drawn at all. If we must die, let us die here!"

Slowly, Dillon looked over the Wall behind him. He saw countless hordes of Titans wandering the city, looking for humans to devour. He saw the hole that allowed them to get in in the first place. Everyone would be counting on Eren to lift that boulder and seal the Wall, but so many people would die today. That being said, if he had to die to save humanity, so be it.

* * *

 **Sorry if some parts were rushed. I just cut out a few things that I believed weren't needed.**

 **As always, please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Battle of Trost

Shortly after Pixis's speech, every single soldier that wasn't critically injured got to work. More cannons were being mounted on the wall and aimed at the horde of Titans that were increasing in number. Armin had a good plan to have many of the soldiers lower themselves close to the Titans so that they would be lured away from Eren as he sealed the wall with the boulder. Not to mention that they would be in just the right spot for the cannons to take quite a lot of them out. On the other side of things, Eren was getting an elite squad of his own that would protect him: Rico Brzenka, Mitabi Jarnack, and Ian Dietrich, the leader. Admittedly, the Shifter was concerned with having the woman that was more than willing to kill him on the spot, but Pixis swore that unless things went horribly wrong, he had nothing to worry about.

Refueling his canteen and his gas tanks for good measure, Dillon took several deep breaths. He truly felt that he was going on a suicide mission this time, and, despite his convictions, the last thing he wanted to do was die today. He had so many reasons to live now. Still, if it came down to it, he would swallow his fear and give up his life in service to humanity.

"Hey, there you are," a familiar voice said, interrupting his thoughts.

Dillon smiled a little and greeted, "Hey, Marco. How are you holding up?"

"About the same as the rest of us," his freckled friend answered.

The blacksmith let out a sigh. "So…this is it."

"Yes, it is," Marco agreed, humbled by the situation they were in.

"Still thinking of joining the Military Police when this is over?" Dillon asked.

"I don't know," he admitted sheepishly. "I'm a little conflicted now, all things considered."

"I understand." He frowned a bit, the worst-case scenario coming to mind.

Seeing the change in expression, Marco clapped his hand on his shoulder. "We're going to make it. Sure, this plan is risky, but I think we'll pull it out."

Dillon chuckled. "That's what I've always liked about you, Marco. Your optimism is a welcome change to this environment."

"Don't lose your optimism, okay?" he requested.

He nodded. "I won't."

Giving each other a brief hug, the two grappled on top of the inner wall just in time for Pixis to give his sendoff speech to all the soldiers.

"Not once in this century of terror has mankind risen above the Titans," he stated. "Their every craven, bloodthirsty advance has left a wake of inestimable loss for us. Lives taken, territory abandoned. However, should we succeed, we'll make history. Today is the day lands taken by our greatest enemy _will_ be reclaimed. For the first time, we will know what it means not to run, but to meet the Titans head-on and win! Now, it may seem an insignificant lot of land compared to the vast tracts of former glory long abandoned, but as a symbol, as an idea, Trost's regain shall stand as a reclamation of pride and hope beyond measure. A leap greater than we have ever taken!"

The soldiers let out a soldier's cry with pride and determination. Their fears meant nothing to them at this point. Now, they were ready to fight.

The elite squad guarding Eren, with Mikasa added to the group, took off running along the path on top of the Wall. It was too dangerous for them to use their ODM gear without attracting the Titans to them. Sure, the soldiers were doing a good job keeping the Titans distracted by climbing down the Wall and staying just out of reach of the monsters. It was like luring a bunch of dogs to a juicy steak just out of their reach. Still, it wasn't a risk worth taking. And even that wasn't enough. Several squads of soldiers were doing their best to corral the Titans into that one corner spot. It worked, but it resulted in twenty percent of the forces they had being killed.

About ten minutes later, a green flare was fired into the air, signaling the start of Eren's mission. Suddenly, there was a bright flash as yellow-green energy crackled in the distance. Given the roar they heard afterwards, that was how Eren transformed into a Titan.

 _What are you looking at?_ Dillon asked inwardly with a sneer as one of the Titans stared up at him. _You know, it makes me wonder what's going in that head of yours. Why does your kind want to kill us so badly?_

It was tempting to try and dive into the mind of one of the Titans, but he needed to concentrate on the matter at hand and not reveal himself to the public just yet. Already Annie, Krista, Franz, Hannah, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin knew of his abilities. He wanted to keep it that way. Also, Annie was nearby, and she would not be happy if he pulled that stunt now of all times.

Then, the soldiers gasped at the sight of a red flare emitting in the distance. That meant…the plan failed. They started muttering to themselves, wondering if this was going to be end of them after all, that the half-baked plan was all for nothing.

Even Marco couldn't resist falling a bit into despair. "It's over. We failed."

Dillon shook his head, unable to believe this was happening. After everything they've gone through, after all the lives that were sacrificed, it was over?

"What the hell…?" Armin asked himself, clenching his fists. Before they knew it, Armin ran down the path. _"Dillon, come with me!"_

"Duty calls," Dillon said to Annie as he followed the blonde-haired boy, a little caught off guard by his demand.

"Armin, Dillon, what are you two doing!?" Marco questioned.

The two didn't answer as they went as fast as they could towards Eren's position.

"What the hell happened over there!?" Dillon demanded.

"I don't know!" Armin shot back, worried. "We need to get over there and figure out what's going on! We can't fail! Not now!"

 _Damn it._ Dillon swore inwardly. _If this plan blows up in our faces, humanity will never recover. The downfall of Shiganshina led to the downfall of Wall Maria. If Trost falls, so does Wall Rose. If you're dead, Eren, I will find a way to bring you back so I can kill you myself._

For ten minutes, the two cadets continued running down the path. Titans weren't close to their position, but they couldn't take the chance of drawing them in with their presence. Too much was at stake to pull any stunts like that.

Seeing a familiar Titan corpse sitting on the ground in front of the boulder, the two grappled over, panting heavily.

"Eren," Armin gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Eren, what are you doing? Wake up!"

"Are you…kidding me!?" Dillon exclaimed, getting aggravated fast.

Unfortunately, the situation was growing steadily worse. Titans were trying to get close to Eren, though the elite squad was keeping a few of them at bay. The problem was that the number of Titans moving towards Eren was growing, and there were too few soldiers to kill all of them.

With a growl, Armin grappled down to Eren's shoulder and started yelling at Mikasa, who just killed a thirteen-meter that was on a nearby rooftop. "Mikasa, why'd the plan go belly-up!? Why on Earth is he slouched here like this!?"

"Armin, get away!" Mikasa warned. "It's dangerous! Something went wrong! He lost control and wound up like that!"

Dillon clenched his fists in anger. To think that everything that had led up to this point had been for nothing. Would this really be how it would end? A plan that failed to even start and the continuing end of humanity?"

"I tried to snap him out of it, but he wouldn't respond," she went on. "He's been out like this for the past few minutes."

"But the plan!" Armin protested.

"No more!" Dillon shouted, getting their attention. "I won't stand for this! Armin, we're going to get him going! Mikasa, watch our backs!"

"What are you doing!?" she demanded.

 _"The only thing I can do,"_ Dillon answered mentally to both of them.

Armin's eyes widened, though he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do. "Can you pull it off?"

"I _will_ pull it off," he stated, his eyes beginning to glow. "Hang tight, Armin. This is gonna feel strange."

To Armin, he began feeling the sensation of being pulled down into something before his vision went black.

 _Groaning, Armin opened his eyes and found himself lying down on a brick road. Slowly, he looked up and his eyes widened at the sight before him._

* * *

 _This place was Shiganshina, which was completely in ruins. It was completely deserted and oddly quiet save for his own breathing. Curiosity compelled him to open the nearest door, which revealed a six-year old Eren being spun around by his father, looking happier than he's ever been. Suddenly, there was a brief flash and the people were replaced by a Titan that had the most unsettling grin on its face. Before it could lunge at him, he closed the door, his chest heaving from that sudden shift._

 _"This is…Eren's mind!" he realized._

 _"Yup," Dillon answered as he came into view. "Everything you see here reflects who Eren is and how he came to be."_

 _"And the houses contain his memories," Armin realized._

 _"Some are easily accessible, but others are locked and bolted down. That's where he hides his secrets. I would say more, but we don't have much time."_

 _"How much time do we have?" Armin asked._

 _"Probably until that storm overtakes this mind," he replied, pointing at it._

 _Armin's face paled as he saw dark, ominous clouds in the distance, the thunder sounding like a deep roar that sounded very similar to a Titan's roar._

 _"Right now, we have to find Eren and snap him out of whatever's going on," Dillon explained as his eyes began to glow. He was trying to track down where the guy was at._

 _"I think I know where he could be," Armin said. "This is Eren's hometown. He might be at his house right now."_

 _"If you know where it is, lead the way," he ordered._

 _Nodding, the blonde walked quickly towards the house. "This way."_

 _Quickly, Dillon followed him. "You know, you're taking this whole 'being inside Eren's mind' thing well, Armin."_

 _"I don't have time to think about that," he stated. "Any questions I have can wait until after we reclaim Trost."_

 _"Agreed." Dillon was impressed with his friend for keeping his priorities straight. Even he couldn't pull something like that off if he was dragged into a situation like this. "However, I should warn you, as we get closer, his defenses are going to kick in."_

 _'"Defenses?"' Armin repeated, turning around._

 _"We're foreigners invading a mind, Armin," Dillon told him. "It's going to treat us like an infection that it has to fight off." The ground started to rumble. "Now would be a good time to run."_

 _Instantly, the two dashed down the road as the rumbling got worse._

 _"What kind of defenses are we gonna run into!?" Armin yelled._

 _"Probably something Eren associates with strength!" Dillon answered loudly. "Could be panthers, could be creatures that don't exist like golems-"_

 _He was interrupted when, up ahead of them, two human-sized Titans crawled out of the ground and let out their roars._

 _"-or they could be human-sized Titans!" Dillon finished as two more popped out from behind him._

 _"We're surrounded!" Armin cried out, wishing he had weapons right now._

 _Normally, Dillon would try to educate Armin on how to use the mental world to his advantage, but given what was going on outside, now was the worst time to do it. "Armin, sword or gun?"_

 _He gave him a confused look. "What?"_

 _"What do you prefer!?" Dillon elaborated frantically as the Titans drew closer. "Sword or gun!?"_

 _"A…gun!"_

 _Concentrating, a bright light shined in Dillon's hands and two weapons appeared: a sword and a revolver. Quickly, he shoved the gun into Armin's hands. "Start shooting and start running!"_

 _Armin fumbled with the gun, still in shock by what just happened. "But I don't have-!"_

 _Letting out a frustrated grunt, Dillon's eyes flashed and the two Titans in front of him were sent flying back by an unseen force. He pulled Armin back as he dismembered the other two Titans before slicing open their napes._

 _"I'm only going to say this once," he said, panting a bit. "We have ways to fight back, but you've got to put aside parts of reality. That gun you have? I want you to honestly believe that you don't need to constantly fill it up with bullets because if you don't, you will run out and get torn apart by the defenses. You die in here, and you'll get thrown back outside." The ground started shaking again. "I'll try to keep Eren's concentration on me. Go!"_

 _Nodding quickly, Armin hit the ground running just as more Titans started manifesting._

 _"Come on, you cannibalistic monsters!" Dillon taunted as another sword appeared in his hand. "Show me what you can do!"_

* * *

 _"What's…where am I?"_

 _Darkness surrounded him and the silence was eerie._

" _What am…what am I doing? Am I sitting?"_

 _His voice sounded so weak and he felt like his entire body was running a fever, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't even move no matter how much he strained himself._

 _"I can't see. What day is it?"_

 _Suddenly, light opened up to him, showing him exactly where he was._

 _He was sitting on a chair with a blanket wrapped tightly around him. His father was sitting at the dinner table, waiting for his food. Mikasa was cleaning their dinner plates with his mother, chatting about something that he couldn't hear._

 _"That's right. Of course." He let out a yawn. "Weird."_

* * *

 _With a yelp, Armin barely dodged a Titan that lunged at him. That was way too close. Up ahead, he could see the stone stairs that led to Eren's house. Once he got there, he would do whatever he could to save his best friend. He was not going to fail him or humanity. They were going to win._

 _However, that victory was going to be hard to obtain, for a Titan tackled him down, prepared to bite his neck off. Quickly, Armin brought up the revolver and pulled the trigger. The brain of the Titan exploded and slumped its body on the blonde. Whether the same rules applied in the physical world or not in regards to their regeneration abilities, it didn't matter. Armin shoved the Titan off of him and continued his way up the steps. A couple more Titans came at him and he instinctively let out several shots. Six rounds, two (hopefully) dead Titans._

 _"Huh," he said, staring at the revolver. "It worked."_

 _Passing by their steaming corpses, Armin thought he heard very faint voices coming from inside the house. Familiar voices. He tried to open it, but it was locked tight. He fired a shot at the doorknob, prompting two things to happen. The bullet bounced off the doorknob, and the world around him shook like an earthquake. If the groan he heard was anything to go by, it hurt Eren more than helped him._

 _"Okay," Armin muttered nervously. "Probably not a good idea to use brute force…or the door."_

 _He dashed to the window and saw Eren's family: Grisha, Carla, and Mikasa. It looked like a happy memory he tried to intrude on, so why the locked door? This wasn't a traumatizing moment. He looked down and noticed a pillow against the window with dark brown hair sticking out of the top. It was Eren, but something felt off. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like Eren was the outlier in this memory._

 _And then, realization struck. This was where Eren was currently trapped._

 _"Eren, can you hear me!?" the blonde yelled, placing his hands against the window. "You've got to pull it together! If you stay like this, we're all going to die! Whatever this body's doing to you, fight it! You're Eren Yeager, damn it! What's this steaming hunk of flesh have on you, huh!?"_

 _There was a brief pause as he waited for Eren to respond. Armin was about to start banging the window to get his attention, but then he heard his friend's voice, seemingly coming from everywhere._

" _What is he talking about? Fighting? What?" He sounded exhausted and confused. "So tired."_

 _This is bad. Armin thought to himself as he hit the window with his fist. "Come on, damn it! Wake up! Get out of there! We need you! Eren!"_

 _There was no response from him._

 _Meanwhile, Dillon was unleashing his fury upon the human-sized Titans, and it felt good. After everything these creatures did to his race, this was payback in its finest form. Granted, none of these were real, but it still felt good nonetheless. Pieces of flesh flew all over the city thanks to his sword techniques, blood stained the road and buildings, and the number of Titans attacking him were dwindling. However, he had to be careful. Sure, his telekinetic powers were greater in the mental world than they were in reality, but he couldn't use them a lot. It drained him faster, and he needed to concentrate on staying inside Eren's mind until they were done._

 _After beheading the last Titan, the ground shook again, but it was a rhythmic shake. Dillon's attention was on the storm that was nearly upon him as well as the new mental defense that came to confront him. He couldn't help but feel nervous at the sight of an eight-foot Titan that resembled Eren's Titan form. It gave the intruder a roar, demanding battle._

 _His defenses are adapting. Dillon thought as he shook the blood from his blades. This isn't gonna end well._

 _Taking the initiative, Dillon charged at the Titan, swords at the ready. He swung down and Rogue caught them with his hands. Surprised, the blacksmith tried to pull his weapons away, but his grip was two strong. With a grin, the Titan lifted his foot and kicked him right in the gut. The force of the blow sent him flying into the nearest building, crashing into the wooden wall hard. Tossing the swords away, the cuts on the Titan's hands regenerated quickly._

 _As Dillon gasped for breath, for the wind was knocked out of him, he yelled in pain as random memories assaulted his mind. They were going too fast without context, making him disoriented. Quickly, he got out of the house, and the images subsided after a few seconds._

 _I wish I wasn't right. Dillon thought as Rogue approached him._

 _Frantically, Armin hit the window harder, more desperate than he ever felt in his life. "Your mom, remember!? Remember what they did to her! You were hellbent on avenging her death! You swore to massacre the Titans!"_

 _Finally, Eren turned to face him, looking exhausted. "You're not making any sense, Armin. Open your eyes. Mom's not dead."_

 _Cracking his neck, Dillon charged again. This time, it was time to fight the old fashioned way: good old unarmed combat. Dodging a right cross, Dillon struck out hitting Rogue twice in the face, using his powers to make the blows worse. He growled back and started punching back, his fists having the strength of five men behind him. When Dillon blocked, his arms were instantly injured and bruised and wasn't long before one of the punches connected, hitting him right in the face. Not only did he nearly cough out blood, but the world started spinning, a clear sign of dizziness. With a psychic blast, Rogue flew backwards, impacting another house, but he was barely fazed by it. In fact, the attack only served to piss him off._

 _This time, the Titan charged, and before Dillon could react, he was tackled down by the beast. Pinned down, he received a severe punch to the face, breaking his nose. Another punch gave him a black eye. Another punch had him bleeding. Each felt like getting punched by heavy stones._

 _Finally, Rogue stood up and grabbed him by the throat. He was strong enough to lift him up into the air. The blacksmith tried kicking him, but he was losing oxygen fast. With a roar that rattled his eardrums, the Titan tossed Dillon headfirst against a window, shattering the glass on impact. He fell to the ground, bleeding from the back of his head now. Once again, memories flashed through his eyes, but this time, for one second, he caught a glimpse of a black-haired, green-eyed woman. However, he had no time to ponder that woman. His grip on this world was lessening by the second. If he passed out or died, Armin would be left alone with the mental defenses of Eren Yeager and the Titan mind that was trying to completely take over._

 _Tears of fury welled up in Armin's eyes as he tried so hard to shatter the illusion. "Eren, please! You have to push through it! It's not real! Listen to me! If you don't get a move on, the Titans are going to kill us! It will all end right here!"_

 _"Armin, seriously, what the hell's gotten into you?" Eren asked. "What's this get-a-move-on crap? Don't wanna move anything. Right here's good enough for me. It's not like I…wanna be a Scout." For a moment, he grew hesitant of his statements._

 _Rogue was about to deliver the final blow via a foot stomp on his head when the world began to shake a little, catching his attention. He realized that Dillon was just the distraction, and that someone else was hurting his master. He let out another roar, this one full of fury, and began making his way towards Armin's position._

 _No…Armin… Dillon thought weakly as he did his damndest to try and stand up._

 _Armin did hear that roar, and he fell to his knees, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Eren, please. For me. Wake up." Tears streaked down his face. "Remember when we were kids? All we could talk about was the world outside. You know…beyond the Walls."_

 _I will not give up. Dillon told himself, getting his battered body back up. He called his swords to his hands._

 _"Frozen tundra that stretches to the skies," Armin continued. "Sand dunes, the oceans, forests, the world my parents wanted to see."_

 _"Eren!" Dillon shouted, levitating a brick right at the Titan's head._

 _Rogue stopped and turned around, growling at the interloper._

 _"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted through bloodstained teeth._

 _The Titan, predictably, gave a roar in response._

 _"I've always thought you've outgrown that dream," Armin said. "I was kinda sad it didn't come up anymore. But then I realized you've decided to let it go because you didn't want me to join the Scouts."_

 _"No, I…just…" Eren finally stood up, dropping the blanket he had on him. The reality was sinking in._

 _Dillon picked up his swords, the blades glowing bright orange like they came out of a furnace. "Come on!"_

 _Rogue charged at him, ready to rip him to shreds with his bare hands this time._

 _This time, when the blacksmith slashed at him, the swords easily cut through his arm, amputating it. The Titan let out a roar in pain, but Dillon was far from through with him. He continued to cut him apart as the world's shaking grew more violent._

 _"Tell me…honestly…even though your first step beyond the Wall meant hell on Earth, even though it meant risking your life gambling on the possibility of dying like my parents, why?" Armin questioned, driving it home. "Why throw caution to the wind and venture outside?"_

 _Eren slowly turned around, staring at Armin in shock. "What kind of question is that? Don't play dumb. You know damn well why." The shaking was so bad that Armin almost toppled over as the house Eren was in erupted in flames. "Because...THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE WALLS IS MY BIRTHRIGHT!"_

 _"Dillon, get us out of here!" Armin exclaimed, trying to get away from flames._

 _With a single slash, the nape was cut and Rogue fell dead at last, its limbs scattered away from its body. "Finally," Dillon said in a raspy voice. "Hang on."_

 _With another flash of his eyes, blackness overtook them._

* * *

"-up. Come on, Dillon. Get up. Wake up!"

Dillon's eyes popped open and he shot up in a sitting position with a loud gasp, catching Armin off guard. He felt some warm liquid on his face, and a quick rub revealed it to be blood. He felt it coming from his nose and ears, but fortunately, his eyes were blood free.

"How long was I out?" he asked, coughing.

"Only a couple of minutes," the blonde answered. "Listen, it worked. Eren's carrying the boulder to the breach right now!"

Dillon looked past him and saw it with his own eyes. The Rogue Titan was carrying the boulder over his head, walking slowly. He came through at last, though one could only imagine how much weight was boring down on him right now. If the steam he kept emitting from his body was any indication, it was a lot.

"We did it," Dillon said with a smile. "It's happening."

"I'm gonna get you to a medic," Armin assured.

"No," he stated firmly. "I'm seeing this through."

"Dillon-."

"I'm not wimping out over a few burst capillaries," Dillon interrupted. "We have to give it our all, and I have no right to walk away from this. Not now."

Armin sighed, knowing there was no way to convince him. "Stay close to Mikasa and I."

"That I can do," he replied, but then his eyes glowed briefly. "I severed the mind link with Eren. I don't want him to get distracted by our thoughts while he's carrying that boulder."

Quickly, the two grappled over to the rooftop where Mikasa was standing on with a group of soldiers, including Ian. Mitabi and Rico were nowhere to be found. They were all watching Eren in complete shock. They couldn't believe he was pulling it off.

"Mikasa!" Armin called out, getting hers and the others' attention.

"Armin! Dillon!" she exclaimed.

"He came out of it somehow," Armin announced. He couldn't say out loud what really happened near all the soldiers. "We're set. He's determined to see the mission through to the end. As long as we've got his back as he heads for the wall, victory will be ours!"

"Then let's give it our all!" Dillon responded, drawing his sword.

"Defend him!" Ian commanded. "To the last man if that's what it comes to! Eren must breach the gate! I don't want a single Titan anywhere near him!" He turned to the three cadets. "The three of you, go! I want you near Eren immediately! Hop to, soldiers! That's an order!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the trio responded.

Ian moved forward to attack the five Titans coming Eren's way, but froze when he caught something. On the ground, three soldiers were running after the Titans.

"Team Mitabi, what are you doing!?" Ian demanded.

"The ugly sons of bitches lost all interest in us!" Mitabi shouted back. "We need to get close enough to grab their attention."

"Hey, big guy, over here!" a soldier next to him yelled.

"You walking away!?" Mitabi challenged. "Maybe you want us to shove our blades right up your smelly asses!"

The ploy partially worked as the two closest Titans turned around and went after them.

"All right, make a beeline for those buildings!" Mitabi ordered, swallowing his fear.

"They're insane!" Armin commented, horrified. "Going on foot down there is suicide! If they get cornered somewhere, there will be nothing they can do!"

"That's the idea," Dillon said quietly, Elsa's sacrifice coming to mind.

"Let's move out," Ian interrupted, sounding a bit melancholy. That quickly changed the moment he landed on the ground with his team. "Everyone follow Team Mitabi!"

"Come on! We have to go!" Mikasa stated.

Ian's team managed to lead the remaining three Titans away from Eren, who now had a relatively clear shot to the hole.

"I'm going to help them out!" Dillon exclaimed, taking to the skies.

Mitabi's team continued to taunt the Titans until the beasts reached them. One of his comrades was quickly devoured, and Mitabi himself was crushed by falling debris. All that remained was Ian's team. With a scream, Dillon cut down a nearby seven-meter Titan, saving a soldier in the promise. Sacrifices had to be made, but at least he could prevent unnecessary death if at all possible. Unfortunately, because of his weakened state, that was the only person he could save. Ian's team was quickly devoured by the other Titans, including Ian himself, who kicked a guy out of a Titan's hand in exchange for himself.

 _We're going to live._ Dillon told himself as he tossed his boot knifes into the eyes of a Titan, blinding it. _Humanity will survive to fight another day. You can do this, Eren!_

There was a loud scream, and he looked to see the final Titan blocking Eren's path fall dead thanks to the assistance of Rico and Mikasa. He was so close.

"GO!" Armin screamed.

With the loudest roar he could muster, Eren slammed the boulder right into the hole, sealing the Wall at last and causing the ground to shake for a moment.

 _We…we did it._ Dillon thought as he felt like the day just got brighter. _We beat them!_

He couldn't celebrate the victory that long, even as the yellow flare pierced the sky. There was another Titan on his tail. Quickly, he grappled to the top of the roof, but the monster was just as tall as the building, and it was too close for him to escape. He was far too weak to attempt a mental attack at this point.

Miraculously, a green blur zoomed by, cutting the nape instantly. The lifeless Titan collapsed to the ground as Dillon's eyes followed the blur. Whoever that person was, he effortlessly took down two Titans that were converging on Eren's position.

Dillon decided to sit down, exhausted from today's events. He felt like a little bit of rest wouldn't hurt now. His eyes began to close and the last thing he heard was someone he didn't recognize asking if he was all right.

* * *

(Two days later)

With a groan, Dillon slowly opened his eyes. His head was hurting like hell, no surprise there, and he felt some pressure of them. A quick forehead touch revealed that his head was wrapped with a few bandages. He must've suffered some head trauma, but he had a feeling it would be gone in a few days. Looking around, he realized he was in a medical tent with a doctor standing over him.

"How are you feeling, Cadet?" he asked.

"Tired and sore," he answered. "How long was out for?"

"You've been in and out for the past couple of days," the doctor told him. "Fortunately, you weren't in critical condition, but you did suffer some head trauma. I can't pinpoint the source of it. Do you remember how it happened?"

"No," Dillon lied. Wasn't the first time he was asked that. "The last thing I remember was Eren sealing the Wall."

"I see." The doctor wrote down that response. "Well, you should stay here for one more day, and then you should be discharged provided you pass our examinations."

"Thank you, Doc," he replied.

"Cadets Annie Leonhart and Jean Kirstein are waiting outside the tent," he informed him. "That is, if you want to-."

"Send them in," Dillon interrupted, wanting to see his friends.

The doctor gave a single nod before exiting the tent, letting the two in. Both of them looked completely worn out. He wondered how much sleep they've gotten recently. He sat up just in time wrap his arms around Annie as she embraced him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she whispered back.

"I was afraid I wouldn't see you again," Dillon told her.

"So was I," Annie replied. _"Armin told me what you did. Nice job."_

A small smile appeared on his lips. He let out a relieved sigh, enjoying the comforting presence of his girlfriend, when he noticed Jean was standing in the back, looking forlorn. "Jean…are you okay?"

His friend didn't speak for a moment, but when he finally met his gaze, it was full of defeat and bitterness. "Marco's dead."

Those two words snapped Dillon out of whatever relief he was feeling. "…what?"

"I…I found his body during the clean-up," Jean added, trying to keep it together. "He…it was him."

Dillon relinquished his hold on Annie and turned around, facing the ground. He couldn't believe that Marco, of all people was dead. That optimistic, freckled friend he considered a good friend was gone.

 _"Don't lose your optimism, okay?"_

The words he spoke seemed oddly prophetic, almost as if he knew he was gonna…

"They're dead," Dillon said quietly, tears streaming down his face. "Elsa, Vaughn, Marco, and…everyone who died to…"

He couldn't hold it in anymore. He buried his hands into his face, the grief hitting him brutally. So many people died that day thanks to the Titans, and he wished desperately there was more he could've done. Deep down, though, he knew that he did all he could, and yet that made him feel worse.

Annie hugged him tightly. "Let it out, Dillon. I know it hurts, but I'm here for you."

Humanity managed to strike back and gain a victory at the cost of hundreds of lives. Such was the nature of war.

* * *

 **AN: And thus ends the Trost Arc. Sorry, Marco. I hope the climax wasn't too rushed.**

 **As always, reviews are welcome.**

 **Next chapter should come quicker because most of it has already been written down. And it also introduces my favorite OC to write. Yes, while Dillon is a really good character, I personally like who I'm about to introduce just a little better.**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: So…I'm nearing 100 reviews. That is awesome. Here's a little incentive for you guys if you want to keep reviewing. Whoever becomes my 100** **th** **reviewer will be let in on a spoiler of their choosing. There are only two rules. First one is don't tell anyone of the spoiler. Second one is the 100** **th** **reviewer cannot be a guest. You must have an actual account on this site. If a guest hits one hundred, I'll move up until I reach someone with an actual account and give them the prize.**

 **With all that said, enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Trial of Eren Yeager

(Four days after the Battle of Trost)

Prison wasn't kind to its inmates. In many cases, the cells were just there to keep the prisoners slated for death row. They didn't have to suffer the environment very long. The ones that were going to be there for a long time had to deal with two meals a day consisting of stale bread and a mug of water each day. Not to mention that there were little to no regulations on how the Military Police are allowed to treat the inmates. They could give one of them a beating, and no one would bat an eye. After all, prisoners were the lowest of the low.

Occupying a cell in an isolated section of the prison was Eren Yeager, who had been there in a coma since Trost. Instantly, after making sure he was still alive, the MPs had him brought to the dungeon and chained to the wall. Since he was underground, he couldn't transform successfully, not that he wanted to. When he eventually awakened, he was visited by Commander Erwin and Captain Levi. They wanted him to use his abilities to retake Wall Maria and find out if his father was telling the truth about the secrets of the Titans lying in his basement. At first, Levi was skeptical, but when Eren declared that he wanted to join the Scouts so he could kill the Titans, it was enough for him to put a little bit of trust in him. Granted, he made it clear that if Eren betrayed them in any way, he would personally cut his head off. Before they left, Erwin urged Eren to hold on just a little bit longer until he had his trial.

Until then, the Shifter had to deal with the MPs that were keeping watch over him for the next few days. Eren could understand their fears, but what got under his skin were the insults the guards gave him. Whenever he asked them for something, or they gave him his meals, they would always say something like "I hope you burn in Hell, freak" or "to think the people of Wall Rose are praising a monster." Again, he knew that deep down, they were terrified of him, but it was getting on his nerves.

 _Why is it taking so long?_ Eren thought, staring at his chains again. _Are they really planning on leaving me here? I didn't do anything wrong! Damn it, why can't they-?_

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening nearby. Either these were more guards coming in to replace the current ones, or someone was paying him a visit.

"What are _you_ doing here?" one of the guards demanded, glaring at whoever came in.

"I'm here to see my client," a female voice responded in a clipped tone.

"Of course," he snarled. "You've got a lot of nerve defending this monster, lady."

"Noted. I am obligated to be alone with my client, so take your leave."

Begrudgingly, the guard signaled the others and walked out. Once they were gone, the mysterious female came into view. She had brown hair that was tied up in a sleek ponytail, brown eyes that were slowly losing their stern gaze, and a black one-piece dress with the skirt ending just below the knees. Definitely a civilian, but what would a civilian want with him, especially one from Wall Sina? Then, he noticed her carrying a briefcase in one hand, a clipboard in the other, and a pencil in her ear. There was only one reason someone with all that would pay him a visit.

"You're my…lawyer?" he guessed, confused. He hadn't asked for one yet. He didn't even know he got one.

"Only if you want me to be," the woman answered with a warm smile, confirming his suspicions. "My name is Carolyn Amsdale, Mr. Yeager."

He raised an eyebrow. "Amsdale? You're Dillon's mom?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am."

"He mentioned you were a lawyer for the Kingdom," Eren said. "Why are you defending me?"

"Because you are wrongly accused of treason," she explained, taking a seat on the chair in front of him, "and you saved our lives. I have no reason not to help you." Carefully, she placed the briefcase down.

"It's just…your son and I don't get along well, so..."

Carolyn sighed. "My son means well, but he doesn't think things through sometimes. I apologize about that."

"You seem…nicer," Eren admitted, "but why are you helping me? A freak?"

"Eren...do I have permission to call you Eren?"

He nodded.

"You are not a freak, Eren," she told him in a sincere tone. "You have an incredible ability and it's because of you that we're alive."

"I guess you know a bit about unnatural abilities," he inferred.

She was surprised that Eren knew, but she let it go. "Yes, I do." She sighed, thinking about Dillon for a moment when he was in a related situation. "When my son discovered his abilities, he was terrified. He begged his father to take them away, that he didn't want to have an ability that almost killed him."

That caught Eren off guard. "He…never mentioned that." _Seems like we have a bit more in common, then._

"It's something he doesn't like talking about," Carolyn explained. "It took my husband weeks to convince him he wasn't a freak, that his powers were a gift." She looked at him in the eyes. "I know you're scared, and you have every right to be, but that's why I'm here. I want to help you, Eren."

"Well…thanks, I guess. But I don't exactly have high hopes for a positive outcome," he replied in a pessimistic tone.

"Leave that to me. Now, before we get started, I'm legally obligated to ask this: do you want me to defend you in court? And before you ask, I do not care what they say about me after this."

Now Eren realized where Dillon got his determination to do the right thing no matter the consequences. "If…if you don't care about what they think, then I'd welcome the help."

She smiled. "Let's get started. And Eren? You can call me Carolyn or Mrs. Amsdale. Whatever makes you feel comfortable."

"Alright, Mrs. Amsdale…what do you need from me?" he asked.

"There are a lot of questions I need to ask you," she said. "The MPs are ruthless and they will use anything they can find to bury you. For me to properly defend you, I need you to be completely open and honest with me. Can you do that?"

"Yes, ma'am," Eren answered.

"All right." She took out the pencil so she could take notes on the clipboard. "So, let's start off with some easy questions. In 847, you enlisted in the military. Why?"

"Because I wanted to join the Scouts and kill all the Titans," he explained. "Sure, they have a high death rate, and joining their branch sounds like I'm asking for a death sentence, but they are the only ones fighting for what we need."

"And what is that?" Carolyn pressed, writing it down.

"Freedom," Eren said. "Freedom from these Walls, and from the monsters that lurk outside of them."

She smiled at his declaration. "And even when you had a chance to get away and be safe in the Military Police, you declined that offer instantly, didn't you?"

"I would never take that offer," he stated. "Not if it meant making a difference out there."

 _For someone that doesn't get along with Dillon, he shares a lot of similar qualities._ Putting that thought aside, she continued the questioning. "Let's move on to the meat of the issue. When did you first discover you could transform into a Titan?"

"I didn't even know I could before I saved Mikasa and Armin from the cannon ball," he replied.

"So... you have no recollection of the first time, then," Carolyn deduced.

"No, not really," Eren admitted, looking away for a moment. "I just remember the Titan biting my arm off, I landed in his stomach and…it went black."

"Oh, my God," she breathed, horrified. She could only imagine how horrible that was for him to be inside a Titan's stomach and bleeding to death on top of that.

"The last thing I remember before Mikasa and Armin waking me is saying that'd I'd kill every Titan," he added, hoping that it would help.

Quickly, she jotted that down. "That might be useful. So, you focused on that goal and you transformed?"

"Yes…and it was similar when I rescued my friends. I put my hand to my mouth an-" He stopped there, wide eyed at what he was saying. _How do I know all of this...?_

Carolyn waited patiently for him to go on. "And…what?"

He shook himself out of his stupor and looked at her. "What?"

Her concern was growing. "Eren...are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost."

"No, I'm fine, it's just…I don't know how I know this," he said, confused.

"Eren, whenever you've transformed, are you conscious?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not the first time. The second time, I wasn't fully enveloped."

"And the third time? When you carried the boulder?" Carolyn pressed.

"I wasn't at first. Armin and Dillon broke me out of it, though."

She sighed. "That's…a double-edged sword right there."

He turned his head back to her. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Carolyn hesitated. If she didn't tell him, then if they brought it up, they would see that he was legitimately surprised, but he could lose control of his emotions and get himself killed. If she did tell him, he would remain calm when they brought it up, but would think it was intentional. _Let's hope this works._ "Eren...according to the report, when you transformed in the Trost for a third time...you lost control and attacked Mikasa Ackerman."

His eyes widened in horror, pulling against the chains instinctively. "What?!"

"She's fine, Eren," she quickly assured, raising a hand to ease his worries, "but I wanted to tell you now because they are going to use that against you today."

"Why did I attack her?!" Eren demanded.

She needed get him to calm down before he did something he would regret. "Eren, from what you've told me, this was the first time you've been able to transform. All that power, I can only imagine how hard it would be to stay in control. The problem is that the fact that this all so new to you, and they want to use that as an excuse to put you to death."

He shook his head, the frustration he had been feeling coming to a head. "But I sealed the wall! Doesn't that show them anything?!"

"Eren!" Carolyn exclaimed sharply, losing her gentleness. "Take a deep breath and calm down!"

Taken aback by her demand, Eren did as she said.

"This is a very delicate situation," she explained. "Right now, humanity is afraid of you. They don't know you, so they don't understand you. If you lose control of your emotions…someone in there is going to retaliate. And, as much I will do everything in my power to protect you, I am not bulletproof."

"I-I'll do my best," he said quietly, feeling like a scolded child.

"That's all I can ask for," she replied before frowning. "Eren...there is one more thing I have to ask you."

"What is it, ma'am?" he asked.

"Looking over your records, I found a…disturbing piece of information about you...something that, were it any other situation, I wouldn't pry, but I have to. Did you kill two men when you were nine years old?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation

"Why?" Her tone wasn't judgmental in the slightest.

"Because they were nothing but animals," Eren responded with a snarl.

"…What did they do you, Eren?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing. But they killed Mikasa's parents and kidnapped her. They were going to sell her for a high price because she's one of the last Orientals in the wall. I did what I had to so I could save someone."

Carolyn let out a sad sigh. "I know. Believe me, I know. I'm sorry I brought that up, Eren, but I know your character is gonna come into question. I've been in Wall Sina long enough to know that. I needed to hear your side so I can defend you if they attack you in that way.

The teen gave a small nod. "I understand."

"I think that's everything I need." Carolyn stood up. "Your trial starts tomorrow morning, so you should get some rest.

"Yes, ma'am," Eren replied, his tone sounding a little depressed.

Now that just wouldn't do. "Eren, I know things look bleak, but I'm asking you to trust me. Can you do that?"

That confidence and determination she showed throughout their conversation was more than enough for Eren to do just that. "Yes, ma'am. I can."

She smiled. "You're a good kid, Eren. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

* * *

(The next day)

After the complete clean-up of all the bodies of soldiers in the streets to prevent disease from infecting people, the members of the 104th had their funeral that Dillon unfortunately missed due to his injuries. The minute he got out, he went to the smoking pyre and paid his respects. He was forced to say goodbye to Marco, Mina, Elsa, and Vaughn, the four people that he got to know that were gone too soon.

At the present time, quite a few of the cadets had breakfast at a nearby restaurant who offered them free food for their service. The food was still soup and bread, but it still tasted better than what the Training Corps offered. Unfortunately, some didn't feel like eating.

"Are you gonna eat that soup, or keep playing with it?" Annie asked after her boyfriend lifted and dumped the food for the seventh time.

Whatever daze Dillon was in, he snapped out of it. "Oh, sorry, Annie."

"For what it's worth, I feel the same way," she assured. "Hell, I think most of the people here do."

He let out a sigh. "I want to be happy that we finally had a victory against the Titans, but the casualties…so many soldiers."

"None of their deaths were in vain," Annie reminded him, putting her hand on his. "Every soldier that died in the battle contributed to the survival of humanity."

Dillon gave her a small smile. "Three years ago, I'm not sure you would be saying those things."

She shrugged. "Despite the circumstances, I think you infected me with your positivity."

"It might not last if Eren is executed," he pointed out.

"Think your mother is gonna be right in the thick of it?" she asked.

"Without a doubt," the blacksmith answered without hesitation. "Anything to save an innocent person, and Eren Yeager is innocent."

Before she could say anything in response, the door opened loudly with an officer standing in front of it. "Cadets Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, and Dillon Amsdale! Hop to!"

The three cadets in question stood up and saluted. "Sir!"

"You're ordered to attend and act as witnesses in today's deliberation!" he announced.

"Sir, permission to attend as well?" Annie requested, getting up.

The officer gave her a scrutinizing look before nodding. "Granted. Head on out."

Quickly, the four cadets followed him outside where there was a carriage waiting for them.

"Do you seriously think I'm gonna get myself into trouble?" Dillon asked, opening the carriage door and letting Armin and Mikasa in.

"Dillon, you have an uncanny ability to throw yourself into the thick of danger and hope for the best," Annie answered, giving him a pointed look. "I'm not about to let you get shot because of your recklessness. Besides…I want to see if your mother is as good as you claim she is."

He smirked, heading inside the carriage. "Oh, trust me, Annie. She is."

* * *

"Excuse me, I've gotta pee," Eren stated.

"No, you just went," one of the guards stated.

The Shifter frowned. "Then…can I have some water?"

"Hey!" the other guard cut in, having enough. "You're not getting a damn thing, got it!? Damn monster!"

He was going sir-crazy after being in this cell for so long. It wouldn't have been that bad if he wasn't chained to the wall. He couldn't move from his bed, and he couldn't even stand. Every time he wanted to do something, he was forced to ask the guards that hated him to help him. His only hope for anything changing was the trial that was happening today.

 _Can Mrs. Amsdale really help me?_ Eren asked himself. _I mean, she seemed sincere, but-_

There weren't many things that terrified him in the world. Sure, the Titans always made his skin crawl, but everyone was afraid of them. However, when he saw a female face slam in between the bars and stare at him like she was going to devour his soul, he couldn't help but back up quickly.

For a moment, the woman with glasses just stared at him before grinning. "So, you're Eren. Are you well? How are things?"

"Uh…" was all he could say.

"I'm sorry you've been waiting so long," she said sincerely, "but here's your chance to finally get out."

That got his attention as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"One thing," she quickly pointed out as she pulled out a pair of shackles and held them out to him. "You'll have to put these on me, okay?"

With a sigh, Eren nodded. At least he wouldn't be chained to the wall anymore.

Pretty soon, he was released from those chains before getting attached to the new ones. He noticed that there was a blond-haired man with her, who was eying him suspiciously, but Eren ignored that. He figured he would have to get used to that treatment for a while. The woman, the man, and the two guards began escorting him out of the cell block with the woman striking up conversation.

"My name is Zoë Hanji," she introduced. "Section Commander for the Scouts."

Suddenly, Blond Man leaned down and started sniffing him.

"This is a fellow commander, Mike Zacharias," Hanji added nonchalantly.

Eren made his disgust known, trying to get away from him.

She chuckled at that. "Oh, don't mind him. He has a habit of giving people a thorough sniff. Tends to laugh through his nose a bit, but I don't think that he intends it to be derisive."

It didn't help that Mike chuckled, almost looking appreciative by his smell.

 _I never thought I'd say this, but I think I want to go back to my cell._ Eren thought, clearly uncomfortable to be around these people.

"Quirks aside, he's still a skilled Section Commander," Hanji assured.

 _Sure…_ "So, uh, where's that woman that was going to represent me?" Eren asked.

"Carolyn?" A grin appeared on her face. "Let me tell you something, Eren: you're being represented by the best lawyer in the Walls. If there's anyone that can get you into our good graces, it's her."

"You know her?" he questioned, surprised.

"I've seen a few of her trials. She's amazing." Then, she let out a sad sigh. "Aw, crap. I've been prattling on with small talk and now we're here."

His eyes widened when he stared at the double doors in front of him. _What?_

She shrugged. "Well, I'm sure it's fine. It's probably better if I _don't_ explain anyway."

The two guards moved in and started shoving Eren inside the doors, much to his displeasure.

"Hey, hold on!" he exclaimed, looking back.

Hanji's expression turned completely serious. "It might seem callous, but remember: we've all put our faith in you, Eren. Best of luck." With that, she slammed the doors behind him despite his protests.

Eren was forced to face forward and saw a staggering sight. The prison, or at least the holding cell he was held in, was underneath the courthouse, which was filled to the brim with people staring at him in complete silence. He stared down the aisle which ended with a podium that was meant for the judge and his aides. In the middle of it all was a pole that was clearly meant for restraining prisoners, meaning him. Standing near it was Carolyn, who was waiting for him. Her expression was completely neutral at the moment, making him hope he was right to trust her.

Seeing that he wasn't moving, one of the guards shoved him forward with his rifle. "Move it!"

Once they got close enough, the guards took off the pole and forced Eren to his knees. They put the pole back in the gap between his arms and back, restraining him completely. It was the most uncomfortable position he had ever been in, but he had to deal with it.

To the right of him were the MPs, the merchants, and a few Wall Worshippers including the head one, Pastor Nick, wearing his usual black robes. The fact that these cultists gained so much influence over the years astounded him, meaning that he was in trouble. With them was the Commander of the Military Police, Nile Dok. The man had reputation of being cruel and short-tempered. What was interesting was that he was glaring at Carolyn, so he had no idea if that was good or bad for him.

On the left were the Scouts, including Commander Erwin and Captain Levi. He was a little surprised that Commander Pixis was there as well, but given that it was his operation that helped seal the Wall, he might be there to vouch for Eren's skills. However, what caught him off guard was the fact that a few of his friends were here: Armin, Mikasa, Dillon, and even Annie. They had all come to see him…or maybe they were ordered to.

Finally, the door opened near the judge's stand, revealing an older gentlemen with a gray beard and hair. His coat bore many medals, indicating that this man was Darius Zackley, the Commander-and-Chief of the Walls, and the one that held Eren's fate in his hands. Folding his jacket neatly and placing it on the stand, he sat down.

"All right," Zackley started. "Shall we begin? Carolyn Amsdale, you have chosen to defend Eren Yeager. Is that correct?"

"Unashamedly, Your Honor," she answered. "I believe that this is the right thing to do."

This caused a few murmurs throughout the crowd and Nile cleared his throat to get her attention. "Carolyn. I see you're defending traitors instead of prosecuting soldiers. What happened?"

"Today will determine whether that is the case or not, Mr. Dok," she stated in a clipped tone.

Mr. Dok. Already, that carried so much meaning. She completely disregarded his rank.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "Whether or not what is the case? The fact that you're stooping even lower on the ladder than before?"

"Whether or not Eren Yeager is actually a traitor. Please, keep up."

Nile fixed a glare on her. "He's a Titan in human form. How is he not a traitor?"

"Order!" Zackley interrupted, though Carolyn caught a very quick twinkle of amusement in his eye. "Mrs. Amsdale, are you fully aware of what will happen to you if you lose this case?"

"Yes, Your Honor," she answered, "and it's a risk I'm willing to take."

He sighed. "Very well. The revelation of Eren Yeager's existence could not be contained. In the end, we need to publicly disclose the facts to the people, or we will be facing widespread civil unrest. The regiment that I will place you in will determine your fate: Military Police, or the Scout Regiment. To begin, the Military Police will make their statement. Commander Dok, if you would."

"Yes, your Honor," Nile said. "Our recommendation is that, following a thorough investigation into Cadet Yeager and his anatomy, he be terminated immediately." He looked at the report before looking back to Eren. "While his presence and abilities did assist us in this recent campaign to reclaim Trost district, as previously stated, his mere existence is causing rebellious and seditious thoughts and speech. After gathering everything we can for him, we would see him made a fallen warrior for Humanity."

"Unacceptable!" Pastor Nick exclaimed. "This verminous fiend has defiled the mighty Wall; therefore-"

"Pastor, please control yourself," Carolyn requested, her annoyance for the head Wall Worshipper made clear. "This verminous fiend has fixed up the mighty Wall. If anything, you should be thanking my client."

The pastor started sputtering angrily. "How-how dare you speak to me that way, you immoral whore!?"

"Says the pastor who just called me a whore. Truly, you are the bigger man here."

"Your grievances with each other will have to wait," Zackley demanded, but he stared directly at Nick, "but if you call her a whore again, Pastor, you will be thrown out of here. Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes, Your Honor," he stuttered, giving the stink-eye to a smirking Carolyn.

"Now, I would like to hear the Scout Regiment's Proposal. Commander Erwin?"

"Yes, sir," Erwin replied, taking a step forward. "I, Erwin Smith, as commander of the Survey Corps, propose the following: We welcome Cadet Yeager into our ranks. Reinstate him as a soldier and the Scouts will utilize his Titan abilities to retake wall Maria."

While the people were whispering among themselves, the Commander-in-Chief asked, "Is that it?"

"Yes, sir!" Erwin answered. "With his assistance, I am wholly convinced we can retake wall Maria. Ergo, I think our top priority is perfectly clear."

"Quite bold," Zackley responded. "Assuming you were given clearance, where do you plan to launch this operation from? Commander Pixis, the gates in Trost have been completely sealed. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Pixis answered in a grave voice. "I doubt its gates will ever open again."

"We will depart from Karanes district to the east," Erwin explained. "From there we will move towards Shiganshina. A new route can be established as we move and-"

"That's preposterous!" a merchant interrupted. "Our time and money is best-spent sealing up all the gates. They're the only parts of the Wall that the Colossal Titan can break, right? Let's reinforce the damn things and wash our hands of the entire affair!"

"Shut up, you merchant dog!" a Scout shouted. "With this power, we can finally return to Wall Maria!"

"We can't afford anymore childish antics or delusions of grandeur!" that same merchant shot back.

Carolyn was about to interject, getting a headache, but someone spoke up.

"Squealing louder won't help your case, pig." Levi interjected. "While we're bolstering our defenses, do you think the Titans are going to stand idly by? And when you say 'we', are you speaking for anyone besides than you and the other fat merchants?"

Carolyn gave an appreciative nod to the captain. She could always count on him to take the MPs and the merchants down a peg, but enough was enough. "Your Honor, if we can please focus on the matter at hand?"

Zackley slammed his hand down several times, catching everyone's attention. "Enough! Save your squabbles for a more appropriate setting." Once they've been sufficiently cowed, except Levi, he addressed Carolyn. "Do you wish to answer a question I have for Mr. Yeager, Mrs. Amsdale?"

"Eren?" Carolyn questioned. "It's up to you."

"I'll answer it, sir," Eren said, understandably confused by what was occurring.

"Mr. Yeager, as a soldier you have made a solemn pledge to answer humanity's call! Can you still serve by controlling your ability?"

 _Don't lie, Eren._ Carolyn pleaded inwardly. _Tell the truth._

"Yes! I will sir!"

 _...I can work with that._

"Really?" Zackley asked skeptically. "The mission report I have from Trost contradicts that statement. After transforming, you tried to crush Mikasa Ackerman."

"Your Honor, he's aware of that," Carolyn stated. "I informed him."

"I wasn't in control at the time, sir." Eren explained. "But as soon as I regained control, I was able to seal the wall effectively."

Carolyn flashed him a quick smile of approval. He listened. She had too many bad experiences where her clients thought they knew better.

"Where is this Mikasa Ackerman?" Zackley questioned, scanning the courtroom.

"Here, sir," Mikasa said, raising her hand as she glared at Rico, who filed that report.

"Did Eren Yeager assault you in Titan Form?" he questioned.

Carolyn noticed Nile Dok was ready to pounce on something. _Oh, Nile. You think you have us beat. How adorable._

"Yes…he did, your Honor," Mikasa answered hesitantly, "but prior to that, he saved me twice using his abilities! Once when I was about to be attacked, and then again when we were about to be shot with a cannon. I'd like for you to take that into consideration."

 _Come on, Nile. Don't disappoint me._ She taunted.

"Objection!" Nile called. "I have evidence and a reason to believe that Cadet Ackerman's testimony may be biased!"

 _Gotcha!_ "Objection!" Carolyn shot back, keeping a neutral expression. "While we can only take her word for it on the first instance, there were a least forty witnesses for the second one. Mr. Dok, do you think the Garrison Troops will all be biased as well?"

"You mean the Garrison troops who saw him summon a Titan body from nothing?!" he shot back.

"It protected Mikasa Ackerman, did it not?" she asked simply.

Nile growled, but he didn't have a single response to counter it. "That doesn't change what kind of person Yeager is!"

 _I knew he would bring this up._ "Then please enlighten the court, Mr. Dok. What kind of person is Eren Yeager?"

"A killer," he stated coldly, picking up a piece of paper. "After the Yeager family adopted Mikasa Ackerman, we launched a full investigation into the circumstances behind it. Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman, at the tender age of nine, took down three adult kidnappers by stabbing them to death."

There were a lot of concerned murmurs at that statement, but Carolyn crossed her arms. "Would you rather let the kidnappers sell them like human property to be abused and molested, Mr. Dok?"

Nile winced from that underhanded blow. "No. But the fact that this boy decided to take the law into his own hands and kill three people rather than wait for the proper authorities, who arrived soon after the incident, combined with the fact he can barely control his abilities, supports the fact that he is dangerous."

"So, attempting to dissect said dangerous boy is a clever idea?" she retorted.

"The process would be carried out under heavy guard and with the boy under anesthesia," he assured.

Carolyn sighed, deciding to compose herself. "Mr. Dok, and everyone else, I think you have all forgotten crucial details regarding my client."

"Like what?" Nile asked angrily.

"Let's look at the facts, and I'll go slow just for you."

"Might want to make sure it's slow enough for the pigs to understand as well," Levi suggested.

"Thank you for your suggestion, Captain, but I believe we would be here for the next two hours," Carolyn replied.

"Mrs. Amsdale, if you please?" Zackley interrupted.

"Fact Number 1: Eren Yeager is a Soldier. He has trained in the 104th Training Corps for three years and graduated in the Top 10. And despite the opportunity to live the luxurious life of an MP, safe from harm and worries, he has chosen to fight Titans instead. That should speak volumes about his character."

 _Thank you, Mrs. Amsdale._ Eren thought to himself with a slight smile on his face.

"Fact Number 2: Eren Yeager can transform into a Titan. While I will concede that his lack of control as of right now is troubling, I believe he possesses the willpower to control his emotions and remain focused. If I was wrong, we would all be dead and the Titans would have taken over Wall Rose by now!

"Fact Number 3: Eren Yeager is a fifteen-year-old boy, and he has done more for humanity than any of have in the last 50 years. He has gone through Hell several times in the last six years. He lost his parents in Shiganshina, he was forced to kill two kidnappers at age nine, he was eaten by a Titan, and was almost killed by the people he swore to protect, and despite all of that, he did something no one has done for us as of late: he gave us hope. Hope that we can finally fight back against the Titans. He sealed up the Wall and saved our lives. Instead of condemning him to death, we should be thanking him for his service. With all that said..." To everyone's astonishment, Carolyn turned around and saluted Eren. "…Thank you, Eren Yeager, for saving humanity."

"That's a mighty fine salute," Pixis commented quietly, his respect for her all too apparent.

Everyone's eyes were wide at what just transpired before them, save for Levi and Erwin, both of whom looked rather apathetic to what was going on. Murmurs started running through the crowd about how she was right and the fact that Eren could help. Meanwhile, Nile and the reverend were looking around at the others in confusion.

" _Okay…that was impressive,"_ Annie complemented, surprised at how well Carolyn handled all of this.

" _That's my mom for you,"_ Dillon replied, grinning.

"I believe I have enough to make my decision," Zackley stated. "However, there is but one question I have: should Eren Yeager lose control what guarantee do we have that situation will be handled?"

 _Uh oh._ Carolyn thought as she backed up, giving an apologetic look to her client. "I'm sorry, Eren."

Eren gave her a confused look. "Sorry for-?"

He was cut off by a foot slamming directly into his face. It was strong enough to send a tooth flying out of his mouth. Eren looked the assailant, who was Levi, in shock only to get kicked in the ribs twice. He finished it off by slamming his foot onto his head, practically making him eat the ground he walked on.

"Eren!" Mikasa exclaimed, murder in her eyes. She stood up to go save him, but Armin held her back. It wouldn't do her any good if she tried to kill Humanity's Strongest Soldier.

"If this brat gets out of control, I will kill him myself," Levi swore. "Is that enough for you?"

Zackley nodded. "Considering all the evidence and the testimonies, I hereby transfer Eren Yeager to the custody of the Scouting Regiment, effective immediately! This court is adjourned."

Carolyn breathed a relieved sigh and ran to Eren's aid. "Eren, are you all right?"

"Hurts," he answered.

"That was the point," Levi stated.

Carolyn rolled her eyes. "I'll be with you all in a bit. I have a few people I need to speak with."

"Thank you, Mrs. Amsdale," Eren quickly said.

"Anytime, Eren," she replied with a smile.

Picking up her briefcase, she walked over to Dillon, who embraced her. "Thank God you're safe."

"Hey, Mom," he said with a grin. "You have no idea how much I missed seeing these."

Carolyn shrugged. "Just another day on the job for me…" She looked at the MPs with concern. "…though I think they might be a little ticked this time." For now, she put it aside and asked, "Are you and your girlfriend able to make it for dinner?"

"Yes," he assured. "Bring out your best work. I want this dinner to be a memorable one."

She smiled. "It already is. My little Dillon has grown up."

He blushed furiously, thankful that Annie was talking to Armin and Mikasa. "Mom…"

"Sorry. I'll see you two tonight."

First things first: she needed water. As she poured some in the cup from a nearby pitcher, she noticed the MPs giving her the evil eye. Considering how many corrupt officers she helped put away, that wasn't surprising; however, these carried a lot more weight. In their eyes, she defended a Titan, the sworn enemy of humanity. She had a sinking feeling that this might be the case that will push them over the edge, and if that happened…

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of such thoughts. This happened often after the trials she won, and it was no different now. Her name would still be tarnished by the MPs, but they wouldn't try anything…hopefully.

Once she made sure she wasn't needed for anything else, Carolyn entered the private room Erwin managed to get. She almost ran into Hanji, who was holding a tooth while running outside, claiming that she needed a bag. "Sorry I'm late."

"You're quite alright," Erwin assured as she closed the door. "We were simply explaining our strategy to Eren."

"How are you feeling, Eren?" she asked, still concerned for him.

"Sore," the Titan Shifter answered.

She sighed. "Sorry I didn't warn you about that. It kind of slipped my mind."

"And here I thought you were the smart one," Levi snarked.

Carolyn chuckled, sitting down next to him. "How's Petra?"

"Doing well. Killed quite a few Titans."

Eren gave him a confused look. "Wait, you two know each other?"

"Yes," Levi and Erwin both responded.

"A couple of years ago, while Dillon was in training, Petra, one of Levi's current squadmates, was accused of assaulting an MP," Carolyn explained. "I proved that it was in self-defense and that the scumbag in question tried to sexually assault her."

"Got her off, got him put away," Levi concluded. "Shame he avoided the death penalty."

"At least he's still rotting," she assured before a frown creased her features. "Unfortunately, I may have overstepped my bounds today."

"What do you mean?" Eren wondered.

She sighed, massaging her forehead. "Eren, I've been a defense attorney for just under 10 years, and I've put away a lot of MPs away in the process. Their hatred for me and my family has been getting worse."

"And today, she struck an even bigger blow…and a much more sensitive nerve with it," Erwin explained.

"Which means, despite the protective measures Darius and the Scouts have taken, it's possible I finally crossed the line with them," she finished.

Eren's eyes widened. "The Military Police wouldn't try to...kill you, would they?"

"Not just me, but my husband and my son."

He shook his head. "No, there's no way they could get away with that. Not with someone like you."

"Kill her outright? No," Levi agreed, "but make her disappear or get kidnapped?"

"The point is...my husband and I may have to go into hiding," she explained.

"A little drastic, Carolyn," Erwin said, giving her a pointed look.

"I put my family in danger, Erwin," Carolyn responded sadly. "I don't regret what I did, but…"

"Your son is one of us and your husband supplies the military," Levi pointed out.

She raised an eyebrow. "Wait, he changed his mind?"

"Just before the Trost invasion," Eren answered.

"Not to mention, the public loves you." Erwin added.

Carolyn chuckled a little. "Maybe not so much after today...but I understand what you're saying. It's the paranoia talking."

"I think you forgot that the public is behind Eren too," Levi reminded her.

She nodded. "I know you can't protect my son when he's out on the Expeditions, but...should someone try to get to me through him..."

"They'll be Titan vomit by sundown," Levi growled.

"Thank you." She stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to beat my son and his girlfriend home so I can get dinner started."

"Go." Erwin insisted.

"Good luck out there, Eren," she said, shaking his hand.

"Thanks for what you did today," he replied with a smile.

"And I will rope you two into having dinner at my house," Carolyn promised the captain and the commander.

"You've been saying that for years," Erwin told her with a little bit of mirth in his tone.

"And you've been dodging me for years," she shot back, going out the door. "One day, I shall get you."

Once the door shut, Eren commented, "That was a little dramatic."

"That's the way she is," Erwin said with a sigh.

"Still, I can't believe someone like her exists in Wall Sina," he replied.

"She's a rare breed…but let's focus on the matter at hand," Levi grunted.

"Uh, right," Eren responded nervously.

* * *

 **AN: In case you haven't noticed, I had so much fun writing Carolyn. She's the token Phoenix Wright in this story. Hope you guys don't mind that.**

 **I look forward to your reviews as well as the winner.**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Nine reviews to go.**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Next Step

Back before he enlisted, Dillon always found carriage rides boring. The way they moved so slow through the districts annoyed the hell out of him. Now, though, he didn't mind boring. It gave him time to process so many things, like the fact that Annie was going to introduced to his family. He wasn't worried that they wouldn't like Annie; he was more concerned with how many jokes they were going to make at his expense.

 _Just roll with it._ He coached himself. _Besides, I'm an Amsdale. I can take a joke._

Yarckel was quite different from the other districts. Located on the west edge of Wall Sina, the town was where most of the industry happened. It wasn't just weapons being manufactured. Building materials for homes, packaging meat and other foods properly for the safety of the consumers, creating and fine-tuning the ODM gear, and much more. Considering how much the people of the Walls depended on these things, the workers were paid handsomely for their services. To many people, they have earned their keep.

The carriage began to slow down in front of a building that looked a little out of place. It was two stories, but the first one had a gaping hole in it for the forging area. There wasn't anyone in it, indicating that Matthew wasn't making any weapons at this time. The other half of the first floor was the area where business would take place, if the "Enter here" sign was any indication.

Once the carriage came to a complete stop, Dillon opened the door, taking in the atmosphere of his old home. "Welcome to Amsdale's Forge, Annie!" He breathed in the familiar air and let it out. "It's good to be home."

"Can't believe you live on top of the Forge," Annie said as she stepped outside.

He shrugged. "The house was specifically constructed for that purpose. There's enough of a ventilation system to keep the house from going up in flames."

"I see. Must be nice to be in the center with all that safety and security." She didn't sound resentful or condescending. In fact, she was relieved that Dillon grew up in a safer environment.

He shrugged. "Well, with the MPs around and having to worry about morons who try to steal our stuff, it's not quite so safe."

"Suppose not..." Annie admitted.

Excited, he walked into the shop area of the house, the bell ringing.

Finally, Annie found the person to put to his name. He had a very good physique, confirming that Dillon did indeed train under him. His brown hair was well-kept, and there was a small beard on his face. He managed to make the unshaven face look nice.

"Welcome to Amsdale's Forge! You looking to-?" Matthew stopped what he was doing and stared at his son in surprise. "Dillon?"

"Hi, Dad. I'm home," he said sheepishly.

The older man closed the distance between them, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "Thank God you're all right!"

"I'm alive, Pops," he assured. "I'm alive."

Matthew stopped when he noticed the blond girl watching the scene with a small smile. Thinking she was a customer, he stopped hugging his son. "Give me a second, Dillon." Clearing his throat, he said, "I'm sorry, Miss. What can I do for you?"

"You can start by telling me how you survived having this guy for a son," Annie teased.

He sighed. "Oh, come on, Annie. I can't be that bad."

Matthew's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait...you're Annie Leonhart? The one that my son liked to write about in his letters?"

"He did, did he?" she asked, smirking at Dillon. "What did he say?"

 _And it begins._ Dillon thought, grumbling.

"If we have time, I'll show you my favorite ones," Matthew promised.

"I think we'll have plenty of time." Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

"Why don't you show Annie around the shop?" Matthew suggested heading to a back door. "I'm gonna go check and see if his mother is finished with dinner.

Once he left, Dillon gestured around him. "Well…this is where the magic happens."

"Science," she corrected, checking out some knifes. "No magic involved."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, what do you think?"

"Nice place," she complemented sincerely.

"Glad you approve." Dillon picked off two boot knifes from the wall and stuck them in his boots. "I can replenish these now."

"Used them already?" she asked.

He nodded. "Saved my life in Trost. What about you? See anything you like?"

"Kind of like these push daggers," Annie said, inspecting one of them.

"Do you want them?" he asked.

"Wouldn't mind," she replied with a shrug

"Remind me before we leave to let my dad know," he said. "Rather not take something without him knowing."

"This place doesn't look very secure," Annie noticed. "Someone could steal at least half these weapons."

"We've set up several tripwires throughout the Forge if they try coming in through there," Dillon assured, "and the walls are thin enough for us to hear them walking around and moving objects. Last time someone tried to steal from us was when I was 12. A group of three thieves tried to rob us and my dad and I took them down. One tried to take me hostage, but my dad…killed him with a mace." He was glad he didn't see that.

"Brutal," Annie commented.

"Sent a message, though: never mess with an Amsdale."

"Come on up, kids! Dinner's on!" Matthew yelled.

"Ever had food from the Interior?" Dillon asked.

She shook her head. "No."

"Then you're in for a treat," he stated with a grin as he went in the door that led upstairs. "When it came to food, I never truly understood how good I had it until I joined the military."

"I imagine so. Center wall living is good living, from what I hear."

"It is," he said. "You have that to look forward to."

"Are you still joining the Scouts?" Annie asked.

He nodded. "I can save more lives that way."

"If you're sure," she responded with a sigh.

Dillon stopped in his tracks. "Are you upset with my decision?"

"A little," she admitted. "I know I pushed you to join, but that was before Rose got invaded."

Dillon resisted the urge to groan. "In other words, we're back to square one."

She shrugged. "I guess you could say that."

He sighed, leaning against the wall. "Ugh."

"Let's not ruin dinner with that, though," she said, walking to the back.

"Yeah, we can discuss it later," he agreed, opening the door to the kitchen.

"There you are," Carolyn greeted, hiding their dishes under lids. "Glad you two could make it."

"Hi, Mom," Dillon replied.

"Hello, Mrs. Amsdale," Annie added respectfully.

"Call me Carolyn," she offered.

"Very well, Carolyn. I'm Annie Leonhart."

She shook the girl's hand. "Pleasure to meet my son's girlfriend at last."

"And it's a pleasure to meet my boyfriend's mother."

"Okay, how did you beat us here?" Dillon wondered.

"I borrowed a horse," she answered. "It was a lot faster than a carriage."

 _Fair enough._ "Well, we're ready to eat!" Dillon announced, clapping his hands with excitement.

"Uh-uh," Carolyn said sternly. "Wash your hands first, young man. You, too, Annie."

He made his way over to the faucet. _Oi, I have_ not _missed being told to do something that is so simple_ _._

"Hear it is," Matthew said, holding out one of the letters.

Dillon's eyes widened. "Dad, please don't!"

"Oh, I want to hear this," Annie stated with an evil smirk

All Dillon could do was glare at Annie as his father read his first letter.

"Let's see, let's see. Ah, here we go. This letter is dated to when you two first met."

Once he finished washing his hands, Dillon was looking for an escape route, but there was none to be had. He was trapped in the bowels of humiliation.

Annie washed her hands quickly and practically ran to the table.

'"Today, I had my first day of combat training, and I came across the creepiest girl I've ever seen,"' he read.

Dillon buried his face in his hands, sinking into his chair.

'"I mean, she looked nice and all, but her eyes. Cold and unnerving. One would think she was about to kill someone at a moment's notice.'"

"Night is still young," she commented, glaring at Dillon.

'"She calls herself Annie Leonhart, easily the-."'

"No!" Dillon interrupted. "Do not finish that sentence."

"The what?" Annie asked, having a feeling she knew what was at the end of the sentence.

Matthew went on as if nothing happened, enjoying this immensely. '"-easily the second shortest person I've seen here.'"

There was a loud thumping as Dillon hit his head on the table several times.

"Short, huh?" Annie repeated, eye twitching.

"Honey, that's enough," Carolyn scolded, snatching the letter from him.

"And there goes my fun," Matthew lamented, though he was still smiling.

"Annie, please don't be upset at him," she urged.

"Oh, don't worry," she assured, smiling wide. "I won't do anything…yet."

Matthew brought out another one. "There's more where that came from."

"Matthew," Carolyn warned. "You're getting the couch if-."

"Trust me, honey. It'll be worth it." He opened it up. '"Dad, I need your help. Remember that Annie girl I told you about? I want you to send over two boot knifes that I've made for her birthday. I think someone like her would like a gift that has a practical use. You're probably wondering why I'm doing this for her. See, the thing is I want to brighten up her day a little. When I talk to her, she seems sad most of the time, and I feel bad that I can't do anything about it. I only made her laugh once, and that was nearly a year ago. I just want to make her happy just once and let her know that I care about how she feels. I want to see her smile. I bet you anything it's a beautiful smile."

He did indeed receive a smile and a blush from said girl as she looked away.

 _Balancing humiliation with heartwarming content. Well played, Pops._ Dillon thought.

"Thank you for saving my son's life, Matthew," Carolyn said in a deadpan.

He chuckled. "I may be cruel, but I'm not that cruel."

"All right. Let's dig in!" Carolyn removed each of the lids, revealing fresh boar steak, surrounded by green beans, potatoes, and corn coated with lemon-brown butter dressing.

Annie unconsciously licked her lips. She hadn't had meat in years.

"First things first." Matthew stood up, raising his glass. "A toast to the men and women who fought in Trost to keep humanity safe. May the survivors find solace, and may the dead be at peace, knowing that their deaths were not meaningless."

"Here, here," Dillon said, clinking his glass with them.

"H-here here." Annie agreed, clinking her glass with theirs quickly before gulping down a drink.

Dillon took a sip and instantly winced. "I am not gonna be a drinker any time soon."

Once they all sat down, they dug into their meal.

"Is the meat okay, Annie?" Carolyn asked, hoping that she cooked it right for her.

"It's…a little dry for my liking," she replied quietly.

"Here." Matthew handed her his plate. "Mine's rare."

Annie raised her hand to stop him. "Thanks, but I can eat this."

"If you insist." He took another bite before starting the conversation. "I can't believe they got in again."

"At least we have a Titan on our side to even the odds," Dillon commented. "I'm getting sick of watching people die by those things."

"Indeed," Carolyn agreed, "which is why the victory against Nile was far more satisfying than it usually is."

"You did really well out there, Carolyn," Annie complemented.

She smiled back at her. "Thank you. I wasn't going to take any chances and hope for the best. Considering what that poor boy has gone through, it's amazing that he's still sane."

"He's saner than I think anyone else would be," she replied.

"Can you imagine having that power?" Matthew asked. "To transform into a Titan?"

Dillon shook his head. "Pass. I wouldn't be able to handle the power. I think I'd be freaking out for days."

Carolyn couldn't help but notice Annie had a downcast expression on her face. "Annie, are you okay?"

"…We lost good friends that day," Annie answered. Eren couldn't save all of them."

Matthew sighed. "It's a terrible price to pay and I'm sorry you two had to go through that."

That downed Dillon's mood instantly. "Thomas Wagner, Mina Carolina, Vaughn Hoffer, Elsa Glöckner, and Marco Bodt are the people I can think of at the top of my head. They were good people that were gone too soon."

"They'll be happy knowing that the battle is over and that the Titans can't get through for a while," Carolyn said. "And I'm sure that the Titans aren't going to expect a boy with psychic abilities to be riding out with Captain Levi."

Dillon looked at them, a little surprised. "You guys aren't mad at my decision?"

"Son, you're an adult now," Matthew stated. "This is your life, and you're free to choose how you live it. I think you've made a good decision. Granted, we're worried about you're safety, but we'll support your decision. Honestly, I think it's better than joining the Military Police."

That made him smile a little, knowing that he had the support of his parents. "Thank you."

"So, Annie, what made you decide to enlist in the MPs?" Carolyn asked.

Swallowing her meat, Annie said, "Because enough are going Scout. I'm the only one of the top ten in my division that doesn't want to."

"So, you're doing it because no one else will?" Matthew asked, a little confused.

"I'm doing it because I think at least one of us deserves a chance at life," Annie elaborated. "To carry on the story and legacy of the others."

"I see," Carolyn replied. "Well, it's nice to know I'll have another friend in the MPs."

She raised her eyebrows. "Another?"

"Not all MPs are horrible people," Dillon pointed out.

"Squad Leader Kyler Hauer," Carolyn explained. "She's a good woman. It's thanks to her I was able to help indict many of the corrupted officers. She wants to fix the Military Police as much as I do. If you need someone to keep a secret from them, it's her."

"While I'm in the Scouts, I could send letters to Annie through her," Dillon suggested.

"That's…a good idea," Annie admitted, "provided I don't put her in danger."

"Talk to Kyler and ask for advice on that," Carolyn stated.

"I will," she replied, continuing to eat her meal.

"Unfortunately, MPs who actually want to make a difference are hard to come by," Matthew stated.

"But one day, things are going to change for the better," Carolyn said. "I just hope we're there to see it."

"I'm sure you will be," Annie said.

"Hey, Dillon, would you mind stepping outside for a bit?" Matthew requested.

Nodding, he got up, though he gave Annie's shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaving the kitchen.

"What do you think of our son, Annie?" Carolyn questioned.

"He's a good man…but a bit foolish," she answered.

"In what regard?" she wondered.

"He's very…idealistic," Annie explained.

Carolyn sighed. "I think he got that from me."

"What is it about his idealism that bothers you, Annie?" Matthew asked without sounding judgmental.

She sighed. "The fact that it seems almost naïve."

"Examples?"

"He stepped in front of a cannon," she stated bluntly.

Matthew facepalmed. "He thought he could take out the people holding the cannon, didn't he?"

The blond gave a simple nod.

"Annie, has this been a recurring thing?" Carolyn asked.

Another nod. "Yes. Yes, it has. Stood up to Shadis, chased after kidnappers with guns..."

That caught her by surprise. "Stood up to his drill instructor? Why?"

"Because Shadis singled him out from being from the center wall."

"And Dillon didn't want to take a chance that a drill instructor would be gunning for him for that purpose," she realized.

"Annie...going after the kidnappers and standing in front of a cannon...it has nothing to do with idealism, no matter what he said," Matthew revealed.

Now, she was surprised. "What do you mean? What other things could it be?"

He let out another sigh. "It has everything to do with a fear he has: a fear of failing."

It was like all the pieces of the puzzle started coming together for Annie.

" _I just wanted to make sure the only person at risk of injury or death was me."_

" _Annie, if I lose, I'm gonna lose…your respect."_

" _If I had to, I would've done everything I could to save him."_

" _Annie…if I joined the Scouts…would you break up with me?"_

"It all makes sense now," Annie said.

"Growing up in the Interior has been good to Dillon," Matthew explained, "except when it came to the MPs. Seeing the horrible things they did to civilians took a toll on him, especially after his powers began to manifest. When a child is forced to watch a man have his leg broken by a 'servant of the people,' it cuts deep. If Dillon believes that he can make a difference, he's going to dive in head first because he's afraid that if he doesn't, someone will get hurt or die. He's afraid to fail the people around him in that regard."

"Has Dillon told you about the time my husband accidentally dislocated his arm?" Carolyn asked.

"Briefly, but he didn't go into detail," she answered.

"It was an accident, and I tried to set it back immediately," Matthew said. "Dillon refused and told me to teach him how to set it back himself. Why? Because if it happened to him in a combat situation, he didn't want to burden anyone with his injury and fix it himself. For context's sake, this happened a few months before he left for the Training Corps, so imagine what was going through his mind. His arm gets dislocated, a comrade comes over to help him set it, and both are promptly eaten as a result."

Annie shook his head. _Dillon, you moron…_

"Annie, are you planning on talking to him about it?"

"If I don't, he's not going to survive in the Scouts," Annie answered. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."

Carolyn smiled. "I can see why he likes you so much. Which brings us to something we are legally bound to say."

"If you break his heart, we're coming after you," Matthew promised.

Annie nodded, knowing that these two would follow-up on that threat should it come to that. "I expected as much."

"Dillon, you can come back now!" Carolyn called out.

After a few seconds, the young blacksmith came back into the kitchen. "So how much of my reputation did you destroy while I was away?"

"None," Annie assured, rolling her eyes. "As if anything they could say could ruin how I feel about you"

With a grin, he kissed her on the cheek.

The four of them continued to it, chatting about various things like how the shop was while Dillon was away and how his parents were doing in general. When dinner came to a close, Matthew allowed Annie to have one thing from the blacksmith shop, and she took the push knifes in a heartbeat.

"Consider this a thank-you for keeping our son safe," he explained.

She smiled as she pocketed the knifes. "You raised a good man, Matthew. You should be proud."

"I am."

"Hey, Dad, can we use the guest house tonight?" Dillon requested after waving down a carriage. "It's getting late and Stohess is closer than Trost."

"No one's using it at the moment, so sure," he answered. "Make sure you leave it as you found it."

"Yes, sir," he promised.

"Thank you for the dinner," Annie said. "It was delicious."

"You can thank me by dropping by for a visit whenever you feel like it," Carolyn replied.

"Might take you up on that," Annie stated, stepping inside the carriage.

"I'll see you guys next time," Dillon assured, embracing his folks. "Love you."

"Love you, too, Dillon," they responded.

With a wave goodbye, Dillon departed, the carriage going down the street.

"You have good parents," Annie commented once they were out of view.

He nodded in agreement. "Best in the world. Wouldn't trade them for anything."

"You guys have a guest house?" she asked.

"It was an investment that surprisingly paid off," Dillon explained. "Helped us stay out of debt for years. Then again, when you leave in the Interior, you're bound to make a lot of money somehow."

"By now, your family's probably loaded," she noted.

"You could say that," he agreed.

Annie sighed, deciding to address it now. "Dillon, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What about?" Dillon asked, concerned.

"…It's about a trend I've been noticing about you since I've known you," she explained. "I didn't really put the pieces together until I addressed it to your parents and…it makes sense."

 _Oh, Lord, what did they say?_ "Go on."

"Dillon, you are afraid of failing the people around you," she stated. "Especially me."

"We're in a relationship, Annie," he replied. "Shouldn't I try hard to not upset you?"

"The problem is when you _do_ upset me, or when you _think_ you'll upset me," Annie went on, pressing onwards. "The times where you did reckless things and you felt crushed that I got rightfully upset with you. Then, there was the moment when we sparred on your birthday, where you thought I would call you pathetic if you lost. And then you asked me if I would break up with you if you joined the Scouts! That's not normal, Dillon!"

Dillon looked down, heaving a sigh. She was right, and there was nothing to defend himself with.

Annie placed her hand on his. "Look, you're going to upset me. It's going to happen whether you like it or not. And I'm going to upset you. It's only human. When those times come, you need to be able to handle it and move on. Unless you do something incredibly immoral, I'm not going to break up with you. Trust me, it won't be that easy." She gently lifted his head to face her. "Do you believe me?"

He stared into her compassionate eyes and nodded, squeezing her hand gently. "I do."

"Good, which brings me to my only word of advice that you'll get in regards to the Scouts: you're going to fail, Dillon. You're going to fail badly, but a good soldier doesn't let that get him down. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and keep moving forward. Got it?"

He gave her another nod, committing this advice to his memory. "Got it."

Satisfied, Annie gave him a short, sweet kiss before she leaned back, resting her eyes for a bit.

A couple of hours later, the sun had set over the horizon, giving way to the night sky. Save for a few clouds, the stars were out in their full glory, shining down on the Earth's inhabitants. It was nights like this that reminded many people that there was still beauty to be found on this planet. Though, in Dillon's case, the beauty was closer to him than the stars.

After paying the carriage driver, the two entered the guest house. It was a quaint, two-story place with all the necessities. A look at the furniture showed that most of the money went into getting the nicest things. Then again, it was a Wall Sina house, so it wasn't that surprising.

"Here we are," Dillon said, putting his stuff down. "Home away from home."

"Definitely a house fitting for the Interior," Annie noted.

He grinned. "Yeah, the pillows here are some of the best, and this place has a nice view."

"I think you have a better view in mind, though," she teased.

He blushed a little. "Well, you are beautiful to look at."

Her face turned red at the complement. "So, ready to do what we came here to do?"

"You mean sleep?" he asked back.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Of course, Dillon. You invited your girlfriend to a romantic house just so you could go to bed."

Then, it clicked in his brain, and his eyes widened. "Oh…you want to do that _now?"_

The blonde tilted her head in confusion. "Wait, you weren't planning on…?"

Dillon was getting a little flustered. "Well, I, uh, didn't mean to imply that I was, um, you see, Stohess was closer to Trost, and I didn't think of how this would look to-."

Annie put her finger to his mouth to shut him up. "Dillon, if you want to…I'm ready."

"Annie…are you sure?"

She sighed. "You're going to be joining the Scouts in a few days, and you'll be going on the next Expedition."

"So, you're doing this just in case," he summed up.

Annie nodded. "But it's something I want to do, too."

Dillon let out a deep breath. "Okay, I was not prepared for this…change of plan. Uh…"

"I'm guessing you've never done this before," she said.

He shook his head. "Never."

"Neither have I."

The blacksmith looked behind him at the awaiting bedroom. "Let's head to the bedroom."

"That's a good start," Annie replied, following him inside and closing the door behind them.

"So…this is happening," Dillon said nervously.

"Dillon, if you don't want to do this, I'll understand," she assured. "No hard feelings."

"No, I do want this!" he stated. "I just…" He let out a sigh. "Let's take it slow."

She nodded in agreement. "Whenever you're ready."

Taking another deep breath, Dillon slowly brought his lips to hers. It was a simple kiss the two were very familiar with, but something changed. He felt like his body was compelling him to do more with that kiss, to go deeper somehow. Their kiss became more passionate, more vigorous, and it felt good if their moans were anything to go by.

Their jackets were taken off quickly, along with Dillon's shirt. Annie knew that he had been training hard with his father, but his chest showed it. He had definitely worked out for most of his life. Faded scars indicated the injuries had suffered over the years, including a few burns from working in the Forge.

Without saying a word, Annie ran her hands slowly over his chest, causing him to shiver a little. To have a girl explore his body like this was…there were no words for it. She loved how his muscles felt, how strong he felt. She could add that to the growing list of things she loved about him.

"Relax," she whispered, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. "It's just me."

After he nodded, the two continued to kiss each other with an added sense of exploration. Her shirt was the next to come off, leaving her clad in a gray bra. He noticed there weren't nearly as many scars on her, which surprised him. From what she told him of her training, it was very similar to his, yet her body didn't show nearly as many scars on him. How the hell did she pull that off?

"Do you like what you see?" Annie asked in a bit of a sultry tone, despite her own blushing.

"…Yes," Dillon answered after a brief pause.

"Let's take it to the bed," she suggested, walking past him with a slight sway in her hips.

This was a completely different side of Annie Leonhart. He had seen her cold, happy, and vulnerable, but here she was…wow.

Once again, he followed her and once she laid herself on the bed, he laid himself on top of her, pressing his body against hers. They stared into each other's eyes, taking each other in.

"You're so beautiful," Dillon said softly.

Annie smiled back. "Come on, Amsdale. Don't keep your girl waiting."

The minute his lips fell onto hers, their night got far more enjoyable.

* * *

As Matthew finished closing up shop for the night, his eyes widened in horror. "I gave two teenagers who are in a committed relationship the keys to the guest house…alone."

…

…

…

…

"WHAT THE HELL WAS I DRINKING!?"

* * *

 **AN: Short chapter, I know, but I hope you guys still enjoyed it. There are going to be two, possibly three, more chapters like this, but after that…well…you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **As always, review, favorite, and follow. Whatever you feel like doing.**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Holy crap! Not only did I reach 109 reviews (congratulations to ValeriNeria for leaving the 100** **th** **review), but the previous chapter is the most reviewed chapter I have to date. Thank you all so much. Unfortunately, this is another short chapter, and there's going to be one more short chapter afterwards, but then…the moment you've all been waiting for will happen and I cannot wait to post it.**

* * *

Chapter 15: Into the Scouts

As the morning light shined through the windows, Dillon slowly opened his eyes. He felt worn out, like he ran a lap or two on the Wall. For a moment, he couldn't remember why he felt that way until he noticed Annie's head resting on his bare chest. Last night's events quickly came to mind, making his face flush red. He still couldn't believe that he and Annie had sex, but he was glad that he had it with her. That being said, the best way he would be able to describe their first time was enjoyable, but awkward and sometimes confusing. It was still worth it.

Gently, he stroked her bare shoulder, causing her eyes to flutter open a bit.

"Hey," Dillon whispered with a smile.

"Hey," Annie replied, smiling back.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

"Of course," she answered, closing her eyes again.

"For a moment, I wondered if last night actually happened," Dillon said with a content sigh. "It was…interesting."

She chuckled a little. "That's one way to put it."

"Did I…do all right?" he asked, a little hesitant.

Annie moved up and kissed him on the lips. "You did great, Dillon."

"Thanks." Dillon let out a groan, sitting up. "Better get showered and get this place cleaned up."

"Right. Guest house," Annie remembered. "Dillon…I'm happy we could do this together before you have to leave."

"Annie…I'm coming back," he promised. "I'm not going to die out there."

"You'd better not," she warned. "You have a lot to live for."

"And I'm sitting next to my biggest reason."

Annie blushed at that statement. "Flatterer."

"I try," he replied with a smirk. "Let's get clean, shall we?"

After the shower, Dillon and Annie quickly got to work on the bedroom. It took about an hour, but they managed to remove all evidence of them being there. However, Dillon was dreading the eventual conversation he would have with his parents regarding his…actions. They were smart enough to put two and two together.

With that out of the way, the two took a carriage back to Trost. Upon arrival, they went their separate ways. Annie had to pack up her room for her eventual move to the Interior, and Dillon wanted to speak to a few of his comrades. Trost was still undergoing repairs, but the city was slowly getting repopulated. The talk among the civilians was how a Titan saved their lives and how the idea of retaking Wall Maria didn't seem so out of reach anymore. Some went far as to start praying to the Rogue Titan for deliverance from the evil monsters beyond the Walls.

 _Great. Another cult._ Dillon thought with a grimace. _As if the Wall Worshippers weren't enough._

The sour thoughts were quickly quenched when he spotted the two people he had not seen in a while. "Franz! Hannah!"

"Dillon!" Franz greeted with a grin, giving him a hug. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Same here," the blacksmith responded, returning the hug as well as giving one to Hannah. "I'm glad you two made it."

"So are we," Hannah said. "There were a lot of close calls, but we survived."

It was easy to tell that the Trost Invasion had an effect on the two. After what happened, Dillon believed more people were gonna sign up for the Garrison instead of the Scouts, and he didn't blame them. If it weren't for his powers, he wondered if he would be as confident to join the Scouts as he was now.

"I'm guessing you two are gonna join the Garrison Regiment?" Dillon asked.

Franz nodded. "We've seen enough Titans to last a lifetime…but if they break in again, we'll be ready to fight."

"Well, I'm happy for you two," he said with a small smile. "You deserve to have time for each other."

This time, they didn't deny it. In fact, Hannah smiled at that, though there was a blush coming upon her. "We're going to look out for each other from here on out."

"…I know we didn't get the chance to get to know each other very well," Dillon stated, "but it's been an honor to be a part of your squad."

"It was our honor to fight alongside you," Franz replied. "Who knows? You might push back the Titans singlehandedly with your abilities."

He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, I wouldn't go that far."

"In any case, the Scouts are lucky to have you," Hannah added.

"I know I should have said this a long time ago, but…thank you for saving our lives," Franz said sincerely. "If it weren't for you…"

"I just did what any other soldier would have done in my place," Dillon responded humbly. "I'm going to look for the others. It was good seeing you guys again."

"Take care, Dillon, and good luck," Hannah finished as they departed.

The blacksmith sighed as they disappeared. It was moments like those that made him wonder if joining the Scouts was a good idea after all. Despite his promises, there was no guarantee that he would be able to survive the Expeditions. He shook his head in annoyance. Now wasn't the time for paranoia. He made his decision and he was going to stick with it.

As he wandered around the city, his thoughts drifted to that woman he saw in Eren's mind. There was something about her that seemed…strange. It didn't feel like a memory where Eren was interacting with her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the more he thought about that woman, the more he wanted to know who she was and why she existed in Eren's mind.

 _Knock it off, Dillon._ He rebuked himself. _You're about to be joining the Scouts and you're more interested in trying to figure out a random woman. Priorities._

There were many things he needed to think of, the most important one being his mind blocks. Annie was right about one thing among others: he needed to be at his full strength if he was going to be fighting Titans. He needed to remove a block before the Expedition. His mind had finally healed up since the invasion, so there wouldn't be added dangers to the process. All he needed to do was figure out the opportune moment to do so with his dad.

"Dillon!" a familiar voice called out.

He turned around to see Jean walking towards him. "Hey, Jean. How are you?"

Jean sighed. "Physically, I'm fine. Emotionally…not so much."

Dillon gave a sympathetic nod. "I know the feeling. I'm sorry I missed the funeral."

"Don't be," Jean replied, leaning against the side of a building. "There was nothing you could do about it."

"So…what are your plans now?" Dillon wondered.

"I've decided…that I'm gonna join the Scouts," Jean answered, though it was hard for him to say that.

That surprised Dillon. He honestly believed that after everything that happened, Jean would be far less inclined to join any other branch than the Military Police. "What changed?"

"Reality punched me in the gut," he explained. "It's like Eren said: we have to fight or else Trost will only be the beginning."

"I see," Dillon said as he stood next to Jean. "You know what the last thing Marco said to me? 'Don't lose your optimism.'"

Jean chuckled. "Marco was one of a kind. Outside of Reiner, he was one of the most likeable cadets in the 104th." He let out a sigh as he thought about previous events. "He…saved my life in Trost. Part of me wonders…if that's what killed him."

"It wasn't your fault, Jean," Dillon assured. "The battle was a high-risk high-reward situation. We were all prepared to die so that humanity could continue to survive. If it wasn't for the timely arrival of the Scouts, you'd be adding my name to the list of casualties."

"I know," he responded. "It's just hard to move from what happened."

"I don't think anyone's moved on from Trost, Jean," Dillon told him. "It's gonna be a while before that happens."

The two men stood in silence. They would be joining the Scouts soon and be facing the danger head on. They could only hope that things would change with Eren's abilities. That thought alone gave them a small measure of comfort. With Eren's determination to kill every last Titan, those monsters would rue the day they invaded Shiganshina all those years ago.

* * *

(The next day)

 _Of course this had to happen._ Dillon thought grimly as he stood with his friends.

After the Battle of Trost, two Titans were captured to be researched and experimented on. For six days, the scientist of the Scouts, Hanji Zoë, spent as much as she could with the two so she could get some answers regarding them. However, last night, someone killed them, effectively destroying any hopes humanity had of learning more about the Titans. The 104th was ordered to turn in their ODM gear and be questioned about their activities by the Scouts.

"When did you last replace your shaft?" the male Scout questioned as he perused documents pertaining to Sasha's ODM gear.

"After the mop up, sir," she answered. "That was six days ago."

The female Scout crossed her name off the list. "She's clear."

"Okay, you're good," he stated before addressing the rest of them. "Who's next?"

Krista spoke up. "I'm with Squad 42. Krista Lenz, sir."

As they questioned her, Dillon watched the scene with crossed arms. The cadets were tossing around theories as to why someone would kill the only Titans they had. The most common one was that a soldier was consumed by his hatred to the point where he slaughtered the Titans for revenge. It wasn't implausible, but it was highly unlikely. The consequences of killing the captured Titans were far too great that someone with the most vitriolic hatred for the monsters would think twice.

Dillon, however, had another theory in mind, and it was a frightening one: there was a traitor in their midst. The job was done professionally and quietly, so it wasn't a random soldier consumed by rage. This event had been planned from the start. Killing the Titans ensured that humanity would not discover anything useful about them. But…what possible reason would anyone work with the Titans, creatures that _ate_ humans? What could they possibly gain?

 _A soldier seeking revenge, or a traitor working with Titans._ Dillon concluded, shaking his head. _This whole thing is a complete mess._

"Guess someone hated looking at those Titans more than I did," Connie said.

"The sad thing is that they may have helped the Titans more than anything," Armin replied. "All that knowledge lost and for what? Someone's personal revenge? It just doesn't make any sense."

"Well, it might sound dumb, but I'm glad they did it," Connie confessed.

"What?" Dillon asked, slowly turning to his bald friend.

"Before I actually saw a Titan, I was convinced I wanted to be a Scout and take them all on," he explained. "Now I never want to lay eyes on one again. And today…we have to pick which regiment to join."

"Whatever you think is best, Connie," Dillon answered quietly.

Connie sighed in annoyance. "Hey, Annie, do you think Jean meant it? You think he's serious about signing up for the Scouts?"

Armin looked at him with surprise. "Wait, Jean said that?"

"Who cares?" Annie questioned in that cold tone she was known for.

"So, you're sticking with the MPs, huh? I'm starting to think I might go that way, too," Connie admitted.

"Tell me something," Annie said. "If someone ordered you to die, would you do it?"

Dillon wondered if that question was directed at him too. The lives lost in the Scouts were not to be taken lightly. It was very possible that men and women died because they were ordered to so that the others could live. If it came down to it…he wasn't sure. It was like having to choose between humanity and Annie, a choice he never wanted to make.

Connie's eyes widened. "What? Of course not."

"Well…then my advice is that you do what's best for you," she stated. "And what about you, Armin?"

"I think I might," Armin answered. "If the situation truly called for it and my sacrifice might save others. Not that I'd want to."

"So, you've decided then." Annie sounded saddened from Armin's response.

"I've planned to join the Scouts from the start," he said.

"Come on. Not you too, Armin," Connie pleaded.

"I'm impressed," she admitted. "For a mouse, you've got guts. I'll give you that."

"Uh…thanks, I guess," Armin replied with a bit of a smile. "You know, you don't have to hide that you care anymore, Annie."

Annie raised an eyebrow at him. "Huh?"

"You're trying to discourage us from the Scouts. You're looking out for us," he explained. "Is that why you're joining the MPs? I bet you think you can do some good there, too."

"Can you guys see those headlines?" Dillon asked with a grin forming on his face. "How Annie Leonhart singlehandedly takes down the drug lords hiding within these Walls?"

"Knowing her, she could pull it off," Connie admitted.

She rolled her eyes at them. "Whether I do that or not is irrelevant. I just want to live and give myself and Dillon a chance at living a good life together." She let out a sigh. "Look out for him, will you? He gets himself into trouble when I'm not around."

"You can count on us," Armin assured.

"Thanks, Mom," Dillon muttered.

"Don't make me come over there," Annie warned.

Connie still had trouble wrapping his head around it. Ever since he knew Annie, she was always the cold creepy girl that could stab him in the middle of the night if she wanted to. Now here she was, making jokes and smiling a bit more. The reason for that was standing right next to him.

Once everyone was cleared, Dillon, along with many of the cadets, headed straight for the platform where Commander Erwin was going to try and persuade the 104th to join the Scouts. He had a sinking feeling that more were going to say "No" than enlist. With the dangers of the Titans exposed to them in the worst way possible, all of them were terrified of those creatures. Whether or not that fear would overcome them was up to them.

"Hey, Amsdale," Reiner called out as he got closer. "Come here!"

"What's up, Reiner?" Dillon asked once he reached him and Bertholdt.

"Bertholdt has something to say to you," he explained, nudging the tall cadet to talk.

Bertholdt cleared his throat and sighed. "…I'm sorry. It wasn't fair of me to treat you like the bad guy."

Dillon nodded. "I understand why you were upset. No hard feelings." He held out his hand. "Truce?"

Hesitantly, he shook it. "Truce."

"With that out of the way, what Regiment are you two joining?" Dillon wondered.

"Military Police and Garrison Regiment never really appealed to us," Reiner said. "We want a chance to strike back at the Titans, so that's what we're going to do."

Dillon remembered these two lost their homes to the Titans. "Scouts it is, then. You know…we just might have a chance now."

"Because we enlisted?" Bertholdt asked.

"Of course not," he answered bluntly. "We've got a Titan on our side now."

Reiner chuckled at that. "That we do, Dillon. That we do."

"Cadets, fall in!" a nearby sergeant ordered.

Quickly, the cadets started filling up the space in front of the platform. For about an hour, they waited for Erwin and the other Scouts to show up. By that time, night had fallen upon them. Torches were lit throughout the area to provide light for everyone. Once everything was set, the commander stepped out onto the platform.

"Good evening," Erwin greeted. "I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps also known as the Scout Regiment."

 _How many names does this regiment have?_ Dillon wondered.

"Today, you will choose your regiment," he informed them. "Let's cut to the chase here. The Scouts need you. We need all the warm bodies we can get. After the recent Titan attack, you now know firsthand the horror of which they are capable…as well as the limits of your own skill. However, this battle's aftermath gave humanity a big chance for victory. I refer to Eren Yeager. After selflessly risking life and limb, he has proven beyond a doubt his unwavering loyalty to our cause. Hope live in him. Eren didn't just help deter the Titan invasion; he's offered us a means to discern the truth of their origin."

That caused a stir in the 104th. Eyes were widened, and whispers were voiced throughout them. To learn the origin of the Titans could lead to their ultimate destruction. Humanity's freedom could be just within their reach. However, there were some who doubted his claim, brushing it off as a propaganda stunt to get more people to join the Scouts.

Erwin went on. "Intel suggests that the cellar of Eren Yeager's home in Shiganshina holds a vital secret regarding our enemy. We will form an expedition to find this secret. We find it, and use it to break free of the Titans' tyrannical hundred-year reign once and for all."

 _Shouldn't be that difficult._ Dillon thought. _A straight shot to Shiganshina, we find out the truth, and we're back home._

"Before we can reach the aforementioned cellar in Shiganshina," he continued, "another problem must be dealt with. We must retake Wall Maria. Of course, this is much easier said than done."

On cue, Mike and a female Scout stepped out of the shadows holding a crude map of the Wall cities. Dillon recognized her as the Scout that saved his life in Trost.

"Now that the gate in Trost has been rendered inaccessible, we'll be forced to stage future operations from the Karanes District further east. Thus, the battalion route we've been establishing is now completely useless to us."

Dillon raised an eyebrow. _Why are you telling us this stuff? Wouldn't that information be best told at the Scout briefings?_

"Over the course of those four years, we've incurred losses in an excessive sixty percent. Sixty percent in four years! That's a horrifying figure. A month from now, we will conduct a recon mission outside the Walls. Recruits among your ranks will be expected to take part. I estimate a third of them will die. After four years, most will be dead."

And just like that, the cadets went from being excited at the prospect of winning the war to being mortified by the reality of the situation. Erwin wasn't pulling any punches and he wasn't about to glorify life as a Scout. The best Scouts were the ones who knew the risks and still joined up anyway.

"But those who endure will amongst the most capable soldiers alive," Erwin assured. "Now having heard this dismal state of affairs, whoever still wishes to put their life on the line and join us…remain here. But first, ask yourself: can you give your heart? Can you give everything for humanity!?"

To have that be demanded of them was a tall order. Unlike the other branches, this one truly required for soldiers to be willing to die for their people. It was a burden that whoever joined would not take lightly.

"That is all," Erwin finished. "Those who want to join other regiments are dismissed."

And just like that, people started leaving the area in flocks, Annie being among them. As she passed Dillon, he grabbed her arm for a brief second, making her face him for the last time.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," Annie said softly, kissing him on the lips. "You'd better come home."

"I will."

With that, Annie joined the cadets without a backwards glance.

For a brief moment, Dillon felt a surge of fear rush through him. He had seen what the Titans were capable of, and had seen people get eaten by them. He truly realized that he could be next, that he could end up as nothing more than Titan fodder.

 _No!_ He told himself. _You are not going down that road. Not now! You are a soldier of the 104_ _th_ _Cadet Corps. You have incredible abilities. You are going to live._

In less than a minute _almost_ all of the cadets had left except for 18 soldiers. Among them were Mikasa, Armin, Ymir, Krista, Jean, Sasha, Reiner, Bertholdt, Connie, and Dillon. While there weren't many people here, the fact that most of the Top 10 stayed behind spoke volumes to the Scouts.

"I ask you," Erwin said. "If you were ordered to die, could you do it?"

"We don't want to die, sir!" Jean shouted.

A small smile appeared on the commander's face. "Of course. Let us hope that you don't, then. You who stayed? You are now one of us! Allow me to welcome you to the Scout Regiment! This is a genuine salute, soldiers!" He slammed his fist against his heart. "Together, we give our hearts!"

All 18 cadets saluted, most of them trying and failing to stay composed. Most of them were terrified of staying and half of those people had tears streaming down their faces.

"Joining the Scouts," Jean muttered. "This is so stupid."

"I just want to go home," Sasha cried.

"Oh, man," Connie stuttered. "What the hell?"

Hearing Krista softly cry was enough to break Dillon's heart.

Naturally, Ymir offered her "helpful" advice. "If you're gonna keep crying, then don't stay."

Dillon was about to tell Ymir to shove it when Erwin spoke again.

"Those of you standing here have worked through your fear," he stated. "You have proven yourselves courageous. Each one of you has my respect."

 _I…I made it. I'm a Scout._ Dillon thought to himself. The life of a cadet was behind him. Now...he was soldier.

* * *

 **AN: One more chapter left. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Last filler chapter!**

Chapter 16: The Calm

It had been over a week since Dillon had joined the Scouts. The first thing that happened was that the Wings of Freedom emblem was added to his jacket. While that was cool and inspiring, it was nothing compared to the green cloak he was issued. He had no idea what it was made out of, but it felt so nice and looked so cool. Not to mention the fact that it kept him warm during the cold days and nights, so there was its practical use.

After the introductory week, the cadets, now labeled as rookies, were sent off to different squads throughout the Regiment. During the Expedition, the rookies would have to depend on these squads, completely, to keep them safe. In order for them to reach the point where they could depend on their respective squads, they needed to work with them and get to know them.

Currently, Dillon was following Section Commander Dieter Ness to his squad via horseback. The horses the Scouts had were much faster than the ones he used back in Training. He almost fell off when his horse took off with great speed, but he managed to adapt quickly. Ness told him that he would need to train with his horse often so that his steed would get used to him and follow his commands. He would also need to come up with a name for him.

Fifteen minutes later, Ness pulled on the reins, making his horse come to a halt. Dillon did the same as a black-haired man who looked older than Ness approached him.

"Morning, Darius," Ness greeted, dismounting.

"Dieter, what a nice surprise," Darius replied, shaking his hand as he eyed the teen behind him. "So…this is the rookie you've forced upon us."

He let out a chuckle. "This is Dillon Amsdale. Ranked five in the Training Corps."

Darius gave a nod of approval. "I remember seeing this kid at Erwin's recruitment speech. We'll whip him into shape."

Ness, after dodging his horse's attempt to eat the white bandanna on his head, turned to Dillon. "Amsdale, this is Darius Walbrunn, you're new squad leader."

Instantly, the blacksmith saluted.

"At ease, kid," Darius responded. "We'll take it from here."

Nodding, Ness got back on the horse and took off, leaving Dillon along with the squad leader.

Darius smirked, seeing how rigid he was acting. "Relax, kid. This isn't boot camp, and I'm not Captain Levi."

"Yes, sir," he replied, trying to loosen up a little.

"And don't call me 'sir,'" he ordered. "Makes me feel old. Bring your horse to the stable and I'll introduce you to the rest of the squad."

"Yes, si-Squad Leader."

Once Dillon got his horse settled in, the rest of the squad made themselves known. Two of them were black-haired males, though one had a mousey face. The last one, however, was young woman with light brown hair.

"Dillon Amsdale, meet your comrades. Jensen Auttenberg-." Mouse Face. "-Marcus Brotz-." The other guy. "-and Maria Adler." The only woman in the squad.

"I'm looking forward to working with you," Dillon said sincerely.

"Let's get one thing straight, rookie," Marcus stated, stepping forward with a glare. "There are three things I hate in this world. Titans, horse poop, and ass-kissers. If I wanted my ass kissed, I'd go find a prostitute, so don't even bother trying."

Dillon gulped, thinking that he just made a terrible start.

The glare quickly receded followed by a chuckle. "Easy there, rookie. It was a joke."

"Don't mind Marcus," Jensen advised, rolling his eyes. "Take everything he says with a grain of salt, and you'll be fine."

Dillon cracked a smile. "I think this is gonna be a good fit for me."

"Good, because you're stuck with us for the duration," Maria told him. "And before you ask, you're not my type."

His eyes widened at the sheer bluntness of that statement. "Uh…I already have a girlfriend."

"All right, cut the chatter," Darius interrupted. "We've got a lot of training to put him through before the Expedition, so let's get to it."

Jensen nodded, taking the initiative. "Come on, Dillon. I want to test your combat skills."

 _This squad is strange._ He thought as he followed him.

* * *

(13 days before the 57th Expedition)

 _"I'm getting my next block removed in a few days,"_ Dillon wrote. _"Wish me luck. Dillon."_

"You really care about her, don't you?" Jensen noticed, looking up from the book he was reading. "That's your second letter this week."

"She means everything to me," he said, putting it in the envelope. "Unfortunately, she has to keep my identity a secret. 'Amsdale' is a hated name in the Military Police. The letters I'm sending are addressed to a Squad Leader we know so that Annie isn't compromised on that front."

Jensen chuckled. "You live a complicated life, Dillon. Then again, love is complicated."

"Sounds like you know from experience, Jensen," he said, sitting at the chair across from him.

"I do. In fact, I'm married with a kid on the way," he told him.

"Congratulations," Dillon replied, before giving him a confused look, "but why aren't you at home with her?"

"This is my last Expedition," Jensen explained. "I tried to leave sooner, but Commander Erwin needs as many soldiers as he can get. She's only a few months along, so I'll be able to support her during the other half of her pregnancy."

"That's good." Dillon sighed, thinking about the future. "I do want to marry Annie someday, but I don't know when's the best time to bring that up to her."

"Not sure how to help you there," Jensen said with a shrug. "All I can say is that you'll know when the right time is."

"Well, let's hope that I don't get myself killed before that time."

* * *

(10 days before the 57th Expedition)

"Red flare!" Darius exclaimed as he and Dillon rode their horses down the path.

"Titan spotted," he answered.

"Purple flare!"

"Emergency!"

"Yellow flare!"

"Mission is terminated, be it successful or a failure."

"Black flare!"

"Abnormal Titan spotted!"

"Green flare!"

"Formation change!"

"Blue flare!"

"Retreat!"

Darius nodded, pleased with his answers. "Good job. You didn't get purple and blue mixed up this time."

Dillon smiled before coming to a halt in front of his dad, who was waiting for him. "Hey, Dad!"

"Nice cloak, son," he complemented.

"Thanks." He hopped of his horse, who whinnied a little. "It's all right, Maximus." One of the upsides to being in the Scouts was that visiting family members and loved ones were welcome unless something important was happening at the time. Sadly, the reason was that the Scouts wanted to give their families a happy moment just in case they didn't come back. In this case, Matthew visiting served a greater purpose than just creating a memory.

"You have two hours, Amsdale," Darius informed as he turned to leave. "Don't be late."

"I won't."

Satisfied, Darius cracked the whip and headed back into the forest.

"You sure you want to do this?" Matthew asked once he was out of earshot, concerned.

"I have to," Dillon stated. "If I'm gonna be fighting Titans, I need to be stronger."

He sighed. "All right. Remember, this is going to be painful, but I'll do everything I can to help you through it."

"How isolated are we?" Dillon wondered.

"A half mile radius from everyone," Matthew answered. "Get ready."

Nodding, Dillon closed his eyes trying to relax.

His father did the same as he stretched out with his powers. He perused his mind, though it wasn't intrusive. All he was doing was looking for the right block to remove. In less than a minute, he stumbled upon it.

"I found it," Matthew announced. "It's time."

Dillon's nervousness level increased drastically in response.

"Son, you need to relax," he urged. "The more you stress about this, the more painful this is going to be. You have to calm down. Take a deep breath."

The young blacksmith did as he said, inhaling deeply, and exhaling calmly. On the exhale, Matthew quickly made his move. Like ripping a bandage from a wound, he struck the block, destroying it instantly.

Dillon cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground and holding his head. He felt a rush of energy flowing in and out of him as a result, and it didn't feel right. Various sticks around him started levitating in the air automatically.

"Dillon, you have to focus!" Matthew exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders. "You need to concentrate and let the power flow through you naturally."

"I'm trying," he stated through gritted teeth as blood ran from his nose.

"You have to relax. The pain is only temporary."

Dillon started panting heavily as he tried to think of something, anything, to distract him from this unnatural change happening to him. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to block it all out. Then, he started to imagine what Annie would do or say if she was here. How would she try to help him?

 _Come on, Dillon. They are counting on you._ She would probably say. _You've got to pull this off. I know you can do it. You survived Trost; you can damn well survive this._

He started taking deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. With every breath, the sticks that were floating in the air started to lower to the ground. The pain started to recede into a headache, indicating that it was working. Once the sticks hit the dirt, Dillon slowly opened his eyes, wiping the blood off his nose.

Matthew was staring at him in surprise. "That went…smoother than I expected."

"What, did you think I was going to explode?" Dillon joked, a little exhausted.

He shook his head, giving him an amused look. "You did good, Dillon. I'm proud of you. What did you focus on?"

"I started thinking about what Annie would be saying if she was here," he replied.

"I see. I've been meaning to talk to your current relationship."

His eyes widened a little. _Oh, crap!_

Matthew sighed, not wanting to ask, but felt like he needed to know. "Son…"

"Yes," Dillon answered instantly, deciding not to deny it, and save his father from asking the most awkward question a parent could ask their child.

"I had a feeling it would escalate to that," he said. "I'm not judging you on your actions, and I don't think your mother will either. It's normal for relationships to become sexual, especially during these times. Just…how do I say this?" Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, he continued. "How do you feel about Annie?"

"I love her," Dillon responded.

"And I can tell she loves you, but I want to know what you are planning to do with that in mind."

He pursed his lips for a moment. "I want to marry here in the future, but I don't know when the right time for that is. Right now, she's in the MPs, and I want her to go somewhere stable before I discuss wanting to spend the rest of my life with her."

"And what about your commitment to the Scouts?" Matthew pressed. "It's something you can simply walk away from."

"I know, Dad," Dillon said, massaging his sore head. "Look, we just started all of this. Our new positions in the military and our relationship going to new heights. Once things settle down a little, then we can start talking about our future together."

Matthew paused for a moment before giving a single nod. "All right, Dillon. If you need any advice, your mother and I will be there. Just do me a favor: don't use the guest house next time."

Dillon's face flushed a bit. "I, uh, wasn't intending to at first, but, um…"

He quickly held up his hand. "I don't need to know."

Dillon nodded. "Yeah, let's end this conversation here and move on to something a little more important right now." With a flash of his eyes, one of the sticks flew towards him. "Whoa!" He dodged out of the way as the stick went passed him and shattered against a tree.

"Looks like your levitation skills have improved," Matthew noted with a smirk.

"This is going to take a lot of practice," Dillon said, "but it should be enough for me to help my squad more frequent this time." He began getting excited. "Just think, Pops. This was just removing one block. Think of what could happen when they all go!" _I can see it now._

 _He would be standing in the middle of a large field as hundreds of Titans would rush towards him with the intent of eating him. Would he let them? Not a chance in hell. With a single flash of his eyes, all the Titans would stop dead in their tracks. Then, one by one, their heads would explode. Victory, at last!_

"Dillon!" Matthew exclaimed, snapping his fingers to get his attention.

Dillon shook himself out of that daydream. "Oh, sorry."

"I know what you're thinking, and right now, it's far too dangerous to try and remove your last blocks," he stated. "You can't forget about your limits, Dillon. The bar may have been raised, but there's still a bar."

"I won't forget," he promised before staggering a little, the world spinning.

"Had a feeling that would be a side effect," Matthew said before handing him a canteen.

As Dillon gratefully drank it, he hoped that the removal of this block would give the Scouts a better chance to survive along with Eren.

* * *

(3 days before the Expedition)

 _-and with the block removed, I can finally levitate objects without straining. Granted, they're small objects, but it's still progress._

 _Hate to say it, but this the last letter you'll get from until after the Expedition. In the next few days, I have to focus solely on preparing for this. Don't worry. I'm coming back home, and when I do, I'm gonna find you, and then I'm going to kiss you. Also, I'm definitely going to introduce you to my squad. I think you'll like them._

 _I love you with all my heart._

 _Dillon_

Annie let out a sigh as she put the letter down, rubbing her eyes as conflict entered her mind. There was so much that she wanted to tell him, that he deserved to know the truth, but she couldn't. If he knew, he would endanger everything that she worked so hard to get to…no matter how much she didn't want to do this.

"Is that from your secret boyfriend?" her roommate asked annoyingly.

Out of all the people Annie had to room with, she had to room with Hitch Dreyse, the resident gossip. Ever since the first day, the girl had been bugging her time and time again, trying to dig her claws into her personal life, especially when it came to the letters. She was far worse than when Sasha tried to squeeze her birthday date out of her, the difference being that she tolerated Potato Girl's existence. Not so much for this girl.

"Shut up, Hitch," Annie said coldly.

The girl had the gall to pout. "Aw, come on. Can you at least tell me he's cute?"

Her response was to get up and walk out the door, stuffing the letter in her jacket.

"You're no fun!" Hitch shouted at her.

Annie let out a deep breath, putting all thoughts of murdering her roommate aside and walked straight to Kyler's office, knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" a woman asked from inside.

"Annie Leonhart, Squad Leader," she answered.

"Come in."

Annie entered the office, taking in the scenery once more. Several paintings were hung on the wall, gifts given to her for her services. There were several books in her shelves, many of them on the history of the Walls, the ones that weren't forbidden, that is. Near her window was a carrier pigeon, chirping happily as he waited to deliver the next letter.

The black-haired woman in her early to mid-forties stood up from her chair. "Come to deliver another letter?"

She nodded, pulling out a different letter that was already sealed. "It's going to be the last one for a while."

"I understand," Kyler replied, taking it and putting it inside the bird's pouch. "Dom has gotten quite the workout this month." Taking the pigeon in her hands, she tossed him out the window, causing him to fly back to the Survey Corps Headquarters. Once that was done, she turned back to Annie. "Something wrong, Leonhart?"

Annie let out a sigh. "It's been a little rough, having to keep this quiet."

"It's a sad part of life right now," Kyler said sympathetically. "Unless you and Dillon want to head to the Utopia District and start a new life, you're gonna have to get used to it for a while."

The blonde nodded, turning to walk out. "Thank you for your help, Squad Leader Hauer."

"One more thing, Annie," she stated as she sat down in her chair. "Secrets tend to make themselves known. I hope you're prepared when the time comes."

 _…That was oddly specific._ "I assume you're talking about me and Dillon?"

"Whatever is outside of that is none of my business," Kyler said. "I'm just warning you as a friend."

"…I'll keep that in mind," Annie responded as she left the office. _That woman is weird sometimes. That being said, she's right. I have to prepare…_

* * *

(Nightfall)

"…and then Levi walks up and asks me, 'What the hell were you thinking?' And I answered, 'I was thinking that I needed to replace my shoes.'"

The squad cracked up at that joke save for Dillon, who gave a forced chuckle. As far as funny stories went, that one ranked close to the bottom. He quickly took a drink from his mug before he voiced what he really thought of his "humorous" story. A tradition that this squad did was go to the nearest bar and drink beer before the Expedition. They were smart enough not to do this the night before the Expedition, so whatever hangovers they would have would be gone by then.

"Geez, Amsdale," Marcus said. "That's your fourth mug. You're gonna get one hell of a migraine tomorrow."

"That's true," Dillon agreed. " _If_ I was drinking alcohol, that is."

"What!?" Darius exclaimed, looking at him with shock. "What are you drinking, then!?"

"Apple juice," he answered simply, showing them his drink. "The nectar of the heavens."

"It's a drink for wimps," Darius stated with a shake of his head. "You disappoint me, Amsdale."

Dillon rolled his eyes. "One, alcohol tastes disgusting to me. Two, you guys are gonna be walking around with migraines tomorrow. I think I have the advantage over you."

"It's all part of the experience, Dillon," Maria told him as she sat down next to him with her second mug.

He shrugged as he took another sip. "You know, I've been with you guys for nearly a month, and I don't know much about you."

"What, do you want our life stories or something?" Jensen asked, his speech sounding slightly slurred.

"Whatever you guys feel like sharing," Dillon responded nonchalantly. "I mean, I already know a little about Jensen, but no so much everyone else."

Putting down his mug, Darius began. "I've been in the Scouts for nine years."

The blacksmith let out a whistle. "Nine years? How the hell have you survived this long?"

"Skill and luck, rookie," he answered with a sigh. "I've been thinking of leaving once my tenth year comes around. Head on to the Training Corps and become a drill instructor like Keith did."

That name struck a chord. "Keith Shadis?"

Darius nodded. "The same. He was the previous commander of the Scouts until about five years ago after a botched expedition. Seventy percent of our forces were slaughtered by the Titans before we made it back home, and Keith just…broke down."

Hearing that story put so much into perspective for his former instructor. "Damn."

"He's a good man," Darius said, taking another drink. "It's a shame what happened."

With a sigh, Marcus decided to spill. "I've only been a Scout for a few years. I wanted to get into the Top 10 so I could be an MP, but I ranked eleven. Since I couldn't get into the Interior, I figured joining the Scouts would be fun." He let out a mirthless chuckle. "Some days, it _is_ fun. Other times…not so much."

"I see." He turned to Maria. "What about you?"

She sighed. "I joined the Scouts so I could get away from the Wall Cultists."

"…It's because of your name, isn't it?" Dillon guessed.

"Being named after a Wall was considered heresy in their eyes, and it made me the subject of their attempts to shame me," she stated in a slight bitter tone. "The Scouts don't give a damn about your name; they only care about if you have the guts to give your life for humanity."

 _This got depressing fast._ Dillon thought sadly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. If it's any consolation, I know a bit about what you went through. Unfortunately, it was the _MPs_ that had a problem with the Amsdale family."

Jensen chuckled. "Oh, trust me. We've heard the stories about your mother. The Scouts think very highly of her."

"No pressure, then," Dillon muttered.

"Carolyn fights her battles in the heart of the corruption within the Walls," Darius reminded him. "We take the fight to the corruption _outside_ the Walls. Whatever you do will not be considered less than her actions."

"Don't worry, Darius," he assured. "I know. It was just a joke."

The squad leader frowned a bit. "Well…I just wasted a lecture on you."

"Most of your lectures are wastes," Marcus teased.

Darius gave him a withering glare.

Before things could escalate, Maria cleared her throat, raising her mug. "How about a toast to the Wings of Freedom for finally having an opportunity to change this war?"

"I second that," Jensen replied.

The soldiers clinked their mugs together before downing their drinks. Things were going to be different this Expedition, and they were looking forward to it for a change. The only certainty was that Dillon was going to come home no matter what. He promised Annie several times, and the last letter fueled that promise.

 _Stay safe. I love you._

 _Annie_

* * *

 **AN: Here's a fun drinking game: take a shot for every line that foreshadows future events. I've got a subtle one in there.**

 **Next time: you all know what's coming.**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Since this is a special chapter, I'm bringing back the music. Here's a reminder on how the song cues work: when you see a number like this (1*), you play the song listed in the AN next to the number. When you see that same number again, stop the music. If you see a time on it, stop the music at that very second. You can find all of these songs on YouTube. I'll list the channel names they are under. Also you may have to either repeat the song, or slow down your reading depending on where I placed the end marks.**

 **1\. Mikasa vs. Female Titan on Mr. Clean's channel.**

 **2\. Female Titan Theme on Yurilica's channel.**

 **3\. Addicted to a Certain Lifestyle from Sherlock: Original Television Soundtrack Music from Series Three.**

 **I also realize that I accidentally genderbent a character. The brown-haired soldier in Darius's squad was male, not female. My bad. Still keeping Maria.**

* * *

Chapter 17: The 57th Expedition

At long last, the day had finally come. It was time to start the Expedition that, if successful, would change everything. The Scouts had mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, they had a Titan fighting for them and his basement contained a valuable secret they needed. On the other hand, they had to get through hordes of Titans to reach Shiganshina first, and that came with all kinds of risks. The biggest one was the flat ground they would be traveling through. It was the least optimal situation the Scouts wanted to be in considering their ODM gear would only be good for grappling on trees, or the Titans themselves. Still, at this point, it was a risk worth taking.

In the early morning, the Scouts had gathered everything they needed for the Expedition and rode off towards Karanes District's gate. Dillon was stuck in the middle along with squad, and he couldn't tell who was who with all the green cloaks in the vicinity. All he knew was that Eren was in front and he probably won't run into him until they reached his hometown.

"You seem nervous," Marcus pointed out.

"It's my first Expedition," the teen explained. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Take a breath and calm your nerves," Jensen advised. "Last thing we need is for you to have an anxiety attack in the middle of the Expedition."

 _You look nervous for one second and then they immediately jump to the extreme._ He thought, but he didn't voice his displeasure. He didn't want to start an argument.

Suddenly, the bell started to ring, prompting the Scouts to clench their reins in anticipation.

"Titans have been lured away from the gate," a Garrison soldier announced. "Gate opens in thirty seconds.

Dillon began taking deep, calm breaths. _You're an Amsdale. You can do this._

"This is it!" a Section Commander announced. "This is the day humanity takes a giant step forward! Now let's show those Titans exactly what we're made of!"

All the Scouts raised their swords, letting out a war cry.

"Open the gate!" Erwin ordered.

The massive, stone gate slowly started to rise.

 _The Titans are not going to win this time._ Dillon swore inwardly, a look of determination appearing on his face. _Their days are numbered, and our freedom draws near._ We _will win!_

Once the gate was open completely, Erwin gave his first command. "Forward!"

With a crack of the reins, the Scouts took off, their horses giving out a widespread neigh.

"It's officially begun!" Erwin continued. "The 57th Recon Mission! Scouts, move out!"

Dillon stayed as close as he could to the Scouts, but he could finally see glimpses of his friends. He hoped that they were in good hands and that he would see them again.

 _Quit worrying._ He rebuked himself. _They've trained for this day same as the rest of us._

A rumble caught his attention. To the left was a fat 10-meter, approaching them slowly. Two Scouts had already diverged from the formation to take care of it, so there was no need for Dillon to be concerned. However, his eyes flashed, giving the Titan a migraine on the spot to make their lives a little easier.

Erwin let out his next command. "Long range formation: go!"

One by one the Scouts split off into their respective squads. As the blacksmith rode with his, he spotted Ymir and Krista nearby.

"Good luck, guys!" Dillon shouted.

Krista looked and grinned at Dillon. "See you later!"

"Leave some Titans for the rest of us, Amsdale," Ymir added with a smirk.

Nodding, Dillon continued onward, ready for whatever would come his way.

* * *

With the red flares being fired, the Survey Corps were able to track the Titans, and with Erwin firing the green flares, they were able to stay a course that didn't involve running into Titans save for a small few. However, there were unfortunate exceptions that they had to account for: Abnormals, which was what Ness and his partner, Luke Cis, were chasing after. It was trying to head for the center of the formation, but it wasn't going to make it if they could help it. Especially since Armin, whose job was to hold onto a spare horse for the duration, was going to be in its way any minute.

"The nape's all yours, okay!?" Ness shouted. "I'll go for the legs!"

"You've got it!" he yelled back.

Quickly, Ness drew his swords and fired a hook into the Titan's heel. He skidded on the ground towards him, performing a slash once he got close enough. With the Achilles tendon severed, the Titan crashed to the ground.

"All yours, Cis!" Ness proclaimed once he landed back on his feet.

Cis let out a yell as he leaped into the air. Two slashes later, the nape was split open and the Abnormal was dead.

"Way to go!" Armin exclaimed with a grin. "Nicely done, Ness!"

"Not so bad," Ness muttered as his horse galloped towards him obediently. "Hey, nothing scares you, huh?" He climbed on, petting its mane. "That's my little darling Charrette.

As the two rode towards Armin's position, they felt the ground rumble. Looking behind him, Ness caught a glimpse of a 14-meter running towards them in the distance, gaining up on them quickly.

"Aw, hell," Ness said in a dejected tone. "Not again. What are those right-wing spotters doing?"

"Looks like we've got another Abnormal on our hands," Cis stated. "It's not their fault."

The Titan was getting closer, its skinless form becoming clearer.

"Ugh, I hate these things!" Ness complained, drawing his sword. "Fine, one more for the road, then."

Cis nodded in agreement. "Right."

However, Ness was far from being done with his venting. "Damn it. Someone gonna tell me why we deserved two in a row? Bad enough it's an Abnormal. It's gotta be fourteen meters. This is gonna be a pain in the ass."

When he looked back again, he gasped. The Titan was nearly on top of them. Quickly, the two soldiers split off just as a foot came crashing down where they were. Closer inspection revealed that this Titan was completely different from the other Titans. This one had a feminine build, its chest a dead giveaway. Her blond hair was nearly long enough to cover her eyes, and the speed she was going was almost faster than the horses. Shocked beyond all reason, Armin fired a black flare into sky, staring at this Female Titan with wide eyes.

"It's moving so fast," he commented, trying so hard not to panic. "Too fast!"

"We have to keep it clear of Arlert!" Ness exclaimed. "Cis!"

"On it!" he replied, firing a hook into her back.

Cis grappled up with a yell, ready to slice open her nape. However, this Titan had other plans. She grabbed Cis just before he reached her nape, and with a single squeeze, crushed his body. Ness fired a cable into her back as well, but she pulled it out. All he could do was scream as the Female Titan slammed him into the ground, killing him instantly as she tossed Cis's body away.

Shock gave way to horror as Armin stared at the Female Titan, who came to a sliding halt. She just killed those two effortlessly and brutally. If there was more indication that this wasn't a simple Abnormal, that was it. He flinched when her head turned in his direction, and his blood ran cold when she started running at him.

Panic overtaking him, Armin grabbed the reins and urged his horse to get him out there while holding onto the reins of Ness's horse. The heavy stomping behind him was increasing his terror as he tried to urge his horse to go faster. His mind was racing, thinking about how this Titan showed intelligence like the Colossal Titan, like the Armored Titan, and like…Eren.

 _It's a human being wrapped in a Titan body!_ He realized. _Why!? Why!?_

Giving a quick look behind him, he saw that the Female Titan was so close to him. Thinking that he was going to die, he released Ness's horse, trying to at least save its life. It barely dodged her foot as it disappeared into the distance. Armin looked up and saw her foot raise directly above him. So, this would be how it all ended. A stain underneath the foot of a human in a Titan's body.

To his shock, her foot overshot him by just a little bit, crashing down in front of him. His reared back sharply and Armin couldn't hold on. He flew off his horse and crashed onto the ground. There were some scrapes on his hands as a result of the fall, but he was still alive…for now. As he tried to get up, the earth shook violently, making him freeze. The Female Titan was on her knees like he was, and her hand was reaching out for him. Every instinct was telling him to get up and run, but he was petrified, unable to move. Why didn't she kill him? She intentionally missed him, so what was the point?

Her fingers pulled his hood back carefully, exposing his head. Taking a risk, Armin look up and stared at the Female Titan. He could see her eyes this time, blue with what appeared to be a silver tint. Unlike most Titans, she actually had lips, and her other teeth were mostly covered up. She seemed to be…smiling at him for some reason, and that just confused him more. What added to it was the fact she somehow looked familiar.

The seconds that ticked by seemed to go on forever until she released his hood. Carefully, the Female Titan stood up to her full height, making sure that Armin wasn't in her way, and started running again.

"This doesn't make sense," Armin said quietly, visibly shaking. "Why didn't it…why didn't it kill me? It pulled back my hood and looked at my…" He placed a hand on his face. "Why would it need to check my face?"

"Armin!" a familiar voice yelled.

Snapping out of his daze, Armin looked right to see Reiner galloping towards him with a spare horse, which was a good thing since Armin's took off out of fear. "Reiner!"

"Hey, can you ride?" he asked, untying the spare from his own. "What the hell are you doing? This is full-blown Titan country. You can't be without a horse. Climb on!"

Nodding, the small blonde got on, trying to shake off what happened. In a few seconds, the two were on the road again…heading straight for the Female Titan.

"I came as fast as I could when I saw the black smoke," Reiner explained. "Nice ass for an Abnormal you gotta admit."

 _Reiner, this is_ not _the time._ "It's not an Abnormal," Armin corrected. "It's a person controlling a Titan body."

Reiner gave him a look of surprise. "Wait, what?"

"I'll explain in a second," he replied, pulling out his flare gun. "We need to fire off a signal to warn the others." He tried putting it back together, but it wouldn't take. It got damaged when he fell. "Come on. Work, you piece of garbage. It's an emergency!"

Fortunately, someone fired a yellow flare behind them.

"Hey, it's all right," Reiner assured, looking back. "Looks like Jean got you covered."

As Jean caught up with them silently, more shots were fired. Looking right, they saw several streaks of yellow piercing the sky.

Reiner frowned. "Oh, that's not good. The right-wing spotters have taken too many casualties to carry on."

"Yeah, apparently most of them were wiped out by a Titan ambush," Jean informed them. "I don't know how it happened, but it was bad. Sons of bitches were lightning fast. The spotters didn't have enough time to react. Whoever's left is trying to hold them off, but that means there's no one on lookout duty. Talk about a setback, right? If we don't watch our backs, we're all gonna get wiped out!" It sounded like he was about to cross the line into full blown panic.

Armin's inquisitive min, however, was in motion. "Wait, _she_ came from that direction. Does that mean…?" He looked forward at the Titan in question. "Could she have led the Titans here like a commander?"

"Who, her?" Jean asked, confused. "Why the hell is she running from us? Is she an Abnormal?"

"No, she isn't," Armin answered. "I still don't know how it's possible, but she's another human who's taken Titan form, someone who has the same power as Eren!"

Jean glared at him. "Please say you're not serious."

"Really, why do you think that?" Reiner questioned.

"Titans eat people, but they're not murderers," he explained. "Sure, they kill us in the process, but it's not their intent. They just feed on instinct like any other creature. This one was different. When the others went for her nape, she struck them down in cold blood. Swatted them like flies. She didn't eat them; she _killed_ them and moved on! That's out of character, even for an Abnormal. The Titans that took out the right-wing? I think she brought them here, just like the Colossal and the Armored when they struck. I just know it." He was talking to himself at this point. "She's not just simply satisfying her bloodlust; she has it in for us…or perhaps, more specifically, I think she's going after someone in particular. At that point, the question becomes who, and why."

 _Gee, I wonder who a Titan would be interested in?_ Jean thought sardonically.

"Hey, wait a second. Could it be Eren?"

"Eren?" Reiner repeated. "He's with Levi Squad. They're spearheading the right wing…or they were."

That caught Jean's attention. "Wait, Levi's team? I'm pretty sure you're wrong there, big guy. My copy of the plan had them in the left wing."

"That's odd because my copy had them at the front of the right wing, too," Armin added, "which, now that I think about it, doesn't make sense. Putting them at the vanguard like that wouldn't be smart strategically."

Reiner tilted his head in confusion. "Then…where exactly are they supposed to be?"

"Come on. Where else?" Armin asked. "The safest place in the whole formation…which I assume, at least, would be rear of the center rank."

"Armin!" Jean exclaimed. "Now's not the time to be chasing our own tails about this. We gotta get word out on how dangerous this one is. Smoke signals aren't gonna cut it! At this rate, she'll cut down the command squad. We let that happen, and the formation goes to hell and we all die!"

"You have a plan?" Reiner asked.

"More like a wing and a prayer," he answered. "Look, we've got to try and distract her so that the platoon has a chance to retreat. If we're careful, from this distance, we should be able to manage it and make it out alive. Well, maybe."

Armin thought about it carefully. "She's smarter than the ones we usually deal with. You can take my word for it. From her perspective, we're little more than insects. One swipe of that arm and we're all flattened." _What I'd give to have Dillon with us. With his powers, we could manage something more feasible._

Jean grinned awkwardly, his panic rising again. "Is that a fact? Heh, what a terrifying thought."

"Seriously, what have you done with the real Jean?" Reiner wondered. "No offense, man, but the one I knew could only be counted on to look out for himself."

He chuckled. "Your people skills need work. Believe me, friends, I'm still all about number 1. I just don't want to end up as a pile of bones that no one can identify." His mind drifted to the funeral where he tried to determine which bones were Marco's. "The thing is, I get it now. I get what needs to be done if we're going to survive this fight, and last I checked, nobody forced us to take on this position! Now, are you with me or not!?"

Armin and Reiner stared at him for a moment, seeing that Jean was being absolutely serious.

Deciding to add on to the plan, Armin pulled his hood over his head. "Pull your head up all the way over your head. She won't try to kill you if she can't see your face." In response to their confused looks, he quickly elaborated. "If she's looking for someone specific, she won't mow us down unless she knows for sure we're not them."

"Good idea," Reiner replied, pulling his hood up. "As far as she knows, any one of us could be Eren underneath this getup. That's actually kind of an encouraging thought. You never know. Maybe we'll get lucky, and she'll be nearsighted to boot."

Jean had no idea what was going on through that guy's head, and he didn't really want to know. He decided to address Armin instead "Not gonna lie. The way you clung onto Eren like a security blanket all the time used to creep me out, but I always knew you were brilliant." He topped it off by putting on the hood.

"Uh…okay, thank you, " Armin replied, looking at Jean strangely. "Not sure how I'm supposed to take that, but thanks."

Keeping quiet, the three urged their horses to pick up the pace. Within a few minutes, they managed to catch up to the Female Titan. They had a feeling she could sense them, but it was possible she was waiting for them to make the first move.

 _She's slower than we she first chased after us._ Armin noted inwardly. _Tired, maybe? Let's hope. We slip up, and we'll lose her. We have to do this now before she gets her wind back._

Reiner stayed directly behind her, Armin moved to the right, and Jean moved to the left. The trio knew that she was dangerous, but they needed her alive if what Armin said was true. Jean planned to go for the Achilles heel quickly without any fancy moves. One false move, and he would be dead.

Kissing the hilt of his sword for good luck, Jean made the first move, firing a hook into the heel. Unfortunately, his aim was off, and it bounced off of her. Instantly, the Female Titan turned around, swiping her arm with her. She created a gust of wind that blew off Jean's hood, blowing his cover instantly. Seeing that he wasn't Eren, she quickly moved to the next one, knocking the horse right out from under Armin. He let out a scream as he crashed harder on the ground, shattering his ODM gear and causing his forehead to bleed. He was going to be feeling that for a while…if he survived this time.

Facedown in the grass, Armin barely opened his eyes to see her looming over him again. His eyes widened, expecting her to crush him into bloody pieces, but she still didn't strike the killing blow. Why was she sparing him again? Then…a horrible thought crossed his mind, and if he was right…

"Armin!" Jean shouted, firing another hook.

This time, it managed to pierce her muscle and stick. Naturally, she turned around to face him, rearing her arm back. As he moved up, he was forced to detach his hook, and fire it into her side as she took a swing at him. Barely, he managed to dodge her attack as he zoomed around towards her nape. To his horror, she quickly put a hand over it, covering it up.

 _WHAT!?_ Jean shouted inwardly. _She's protecting her weak spot!?_

Now, the panic came as the Female Titan's eyes landed on him. Jean was completely exposed, vulnerable to any attack she had planned. Her free hand curled into a fist and she brought it back, ready to smash him to pieces.

"JEAN, DON'T LET THAT SUICIDAL MANIAC DIE IN VAIN!"

The Female Titan stopped, hearing Armin's words. Jean was flabbergasted, but he quickly landed on the ground behind a tree, getting to a safe distance…relatively, as Armin continued shouting.

"SHE DID IT!" he accused with unbridled rage. "SHE'S THE ONE WHO KILLED HIM! I TOLD HIM THE RIGHT WING WAS SUICIDE, BUT HE WENT ALONG ANYWAY, AND NOW HE'S DEAD THANKS TO HER!"

Jean had no idea what Armin was talking about, but it was doing the trick, for the Female Titan remained frozen, almost as if she was contemplating her next move.

Having enough of all this, Reiner threw his hood off, charging straight for her.

"She crushed him with her foot! I saw it with my own eyes!" Armin continued. "His entrails were stuck to his foot!"

Reiner impaled his hook into her shoulder, heading straight for her nape, the most idiotic move he could make. She, unfortunately, was not an idiot. As he passed by her face, she gave Reiner a smirk before catching him with hand, trapping him. The blonde struggled to get free, but she was crushing his lungs and had his arms pinned, making it impossible for him to escape. She placed her thumb on his head, and there was a sickening pop, blood spraying everywhere.

Jean staggered back, mortified by his friend's death. "Reiner…oh, God. No."

Armin stopped shouting, staring at the Female Titan in horror.

Suddenly, there was a loud yell, and her hand exploded, Reiner busting out of there with blood covering him. His swords were shattered, but he was free. Quickly moving behind the Female Titan, Reiner landed, picked Armin, and started running for their lives while she started at her regenerating hand for a moment.

Once the blood evaporated, Reiner spoke quickly. "That should buy the platoon enough time! I say we follow suite and get out of here! If, she doesn't have an appetite for people like you say, then I'm guessing she's not gonna follow us."

Sure enough, the Female Titan stood up, and started running southeast of their position.

"All right! Looks like she's in retreat!" Reiner noted, relieved. "Poor thing's running home with her tail between her legs.

Armin looked back, realizing that she was heading for the center rank, going for Eren. This was not over by a long shot. To make matters worse, there was someone she would run into before she reached Eren. _If I'm right about who she is…then God help Dillon._

* * *

(An hour later)

"The right wing's wiped out!?" Darius demanded when he got the message. "Impossible!"

"It's the truth," the messenger said, equally distraught. "There's an Abnormal that's been taking the Scouts down like they were nothing."

 _This is not good._ Dillon thought, unable to comprehend how badly things have gone south in such little time.

To make matters worse, several black flares penetrated the skies behind them.

"It's right behind us!" Maria exclaimed.

"Keep it together!" Darius demanded, looking ahead. "See that village? We'll lure the Titan in there." He looked at the messenger. "Get out of here."

Nodding, the Scout took off, leaving the Squad to fend for themselves.

"Lots of grappling points," Marcus realized with a grin. "We'll take the Abnormal down easily."

"Don't get cocky, Mark," Jensen warned. "If we're not careful, we're gonna end up like the right wing."

"Jensen, Maria head into the village and take vantage points to target her heel and nape respectively," Darius ordered. "Dillon, stay with me at all times. Marcus, stay behind and go for the spinal cord. When I give the signal, attack!"

"Yes, sir!" they all responded.

"And for the last time, don't call me 'sir!'"

"Darius, I can help," Dillon assured. "Maybe I can take another vantage point."

"Rookie, you're not as experienced as us," Jensen said. "Let us handle it."

"But I-." He stopped, letting his statement die in his throat. He wanted to reveal his abilities, but two things stopped him. They wouldn't believe him and they would ask too many questions. Neither of those things needed to happen right now. What also made him pause was the ground shaking violently.

"Go!" Darius shouted. "Rookie, with me!"

Jensen and Maria went on ahead while Dillon stayed next to Darius. Marcus fell back, waiting for the right moment.

 _I need to trust that these guys know what they're doing._ Dillon thought as he put on his hood. The temperature was getting colder. _If things go south, I'll intervene with everything I've got._

After a few seconds, the Titan came into view, charging at them.

Dillon looked back and his jaw dropped in shock. _Is that…a Female Titan!? When did those start coming around?_

"Eyes forward," Darius growled.

"Sorry."

As the Female Titan pursued them, Jensen quickly grappled onto a tall building, catching her attention for a moment. She covered her nape so he wouldn't get any ideas as Darius loaded his flare gun.

"Hey!" he yelled, pointing it at her. "Look down here, you monster!"

She looked down just as he pulled the trigger. She tilted her head to the side, barely dodging it, but she started slowing down to a halt.

"Now!" Darius commanded.

Jensen took the spine, Maria went for the nape, and Marcus went for the heel.

"Bring that bitch down!" Darius added as he and Dillon circled her. "Attack!"

"For the soldiers you killed!" Maria stated.

"We're gonna make this hurt!" Jensen promised.

 _You can do it._ Dillon cheered, thinking that they finally got her.

Then…it all went straight to hell.

The Female Titan grabbed the hook in her spine and pulled it out as she jumped into the air, taking the others with her. Everyone's jaws dropped in horror. This Titan was far smarter than they believed and there was nothing they could do about it. Marcus could only widen his eyes as she landed directly on him, turning him into a puddle of blood and crushed organs. Maria tried to get away, but quick foot stomp ended her life quickly.

"Fall back!" Darius commanded to a mortified Dillon.

Briefly snapping out of his frozen state, Dillon followed his squad leader

All that was left of the three was Jensen, who was dangling from her hand, and he did the only thing he could do. "Put me down! Put me down!" he pleaded.

Dillon brought his horse to a halt, looking back. The Female Titan…was smiling at this. He shook his head, realizing what was about to happen. "No. Don't."

Then, she started spinning him around in her hand like some toy, increasing his horror. She was…she was enjoying it. She was reveling in it. Tears fell down Dillon's face as he watched his friend suffer the worst death one could from her. "Jensen," he whispered.

"We have to go," Darius said, trying to keep it together. "We have to get out of here."

Burning hot anger filled Dillon's body as he glared at the monster. He was taking her down now. With a yell, the blacksmith charged towards her, intent on avenging his friends' death. He couldn't hear the Squad Leader calling for him as his attention was solely on this thing. By the time his swords were drawn and his mind prepared for an attack, she suddenly slammed Jensen's body directly in front of him. Maximus, unable to maneuver fast enough, tripped over the body. Dillon flew off at a high speed, hitting the ground hard as his ODM gear broke apart on impact. He was lucky that none of his bones were broken, but he was bleeding from several areas of his body, including his head.

 **1.*** "No," was the last thing Darius said as the Female Titan's foot reared back. She kicked him into the air like kicking a ball, killing him and his horse instantly. As they flew into the air, she turned around and slowly started approaching the only survivor of this slaughter.

Dillon managed to get on his hands and knees as he stared at his dead comrades in horror. Jensen's body was the only one intact, and it was horribly mangled. He didn't know them long, but they were his friends, and now…they were rotting in the ground. He was agonized, angry, and afraid, the three things he didn't want to be at this moment.

 _This Titan…she's…human like Eren._ Dillon realized, a moment of clarity hitting him.

The ground shook with every footstep the Female Titan made, forcing him to face her again. She was taking her time getting to him, that sadistic smile still etched on her face. She was planning on killing him, there was no doubt about that, but it seemed like she was gonna toy with him first just like she did to poor Jensen.

That wasn't the worst part; the worst part was the fact Dillon could've prevented this from happening. If he attacked her mentally from the start, his new friends would be alive demanding answers to his abilities rather than rotting in the ground. He underestimated the monster, and his squad paid the price. _What have I done?_

With a clenched fist, Dillon started to shake, his rage building with every second. The Female Titan was not gonna get the last laugh. Not now or ever again. He was going to find out who she was, and then he would destroy her. Pieces of the ground started floating into the air as his eyes glowed, fueled by his rage. Slowly, he got to his feet, and dared to glare at her. "If you're expecting me to run, get ready to be disappointed, you heartless bitch!"

Concentrating as hard as he could, his eyes glowed their brightest as he began his attack. He was wrapped up in his fury, his desire for revenge, that he failed to notice the Female Titan's smile turn into a look of pure horror. ***1.**

 **2.*** _When Dillon opened his eyes, he came upon something he had never seen before. There stood the gigantic brain of his enemy, but it was encased in blue crystal that sparkled. It was actually beautiful to look at. Shame it had to be wasted on the Female Titan of all creatures._

 _The plan was simple: uncover the identity of this creature and make it hurt while doing so. If he accidentally killed her, oh well._

 _Unsheathing his swords, he ran to her brain and got the first sign that this wasn't going to be easy. For starters, the area started to shake violently as he heard the angry growls of the Female Titan. That didn't take long. What he didn't expect were five, crystallized, human-sized versions of the Female Titan sprouting from the brain. First time he came across legitimate defenses that were charging towards him. Impressive? Yes. Dangerous? Naturally. Did he care? No…for about two seconds._

 _The minute his sword struck one the Crystal Titans, his weapon shattered into several pieces. A fist slammed into his face, knocking him to what constituted as the floor. Instantly, the Crystal Titans were on him, punching and kicking him as hard as they could. Adding to this was the sound of a deep voice yelling,_ _ **"GET OUT!"**_ _over and over. Finally, one of them grabbed his other sword and plunged it into his back, making him scream in agony. If they killed him here, the Female Titan would have the chance to kill him in the physical world. He was beginning to lose consciousness fast._

 _Memories flashed through Dillon's mind as he thought of Jensen, the man who had a pregnant wife to return to, being spun around like a kid spinning a rock attached to a string. He thought of Maria, the girl persecuted by the Wall Worshippers for sharing the same name as the outer wall, becoming a stain on the Female Titan's foot. He thought of Marcus, a man who wanted to find his purpose with the Survey Corps, sharing the same fate as Maria. He thought of Darius, the grizzled leader that was ready to leave behind the life of a Survey Corps soldier to teach at the Military Academy with Shadis, being kicked as if he was some plaything. And finally, he thought of Annie, the love of his life, the woman he wanted to live the rest of his life with, waiting for him._

"You'd better come home!"

 _With a scream filled with determination and fury, Dillon pushed himself up, throwing all the Crystal Titans off him. Pulling the sword out by the blade, which hurt like hell, he spun in a very quick circle, decapitating all five of them at once. He stared at his hand, which was bleeding profusely like the stab wound in his body, but he couldn't allow himself to let them bring him down. They hurt like hell, but he had to keep going. If this was reality, he would be lying on the ground, dying, but this was his world. The pain was lessened greatly…for now. He attributed that because of the lack of an extra block._

 _He jumped to the top of her brain, still ignoring her voice, and brought his sword down. Like before, the sword shattered, but he wasn't giving up._

" _Nice try," Dillon exclaimed, his sword regenerating its blade and turning bright orange as if it just came out of the forge, "but you're only hurting yourself!"_

 _The burning sword was impaled directly into the Female Titan's brain. It felt like an earthquake was rampaging around him as a feral scream sounded. It was hurting her. Good! Twisting the sword, he started to see blurry images going through his mind without context. Now came part 2: latching onto the memory he needed, which was her identity. Unfortunately, she wasn't making it easy for him._

 _More Crystal Titans were being summoned to stop him. This time, they were trying to pull him off the brain. Frustrated, Dillon formed a revolver and shot the heads of the two Titans that were trying to detach him. At least in the mental world, he was an accurate shot. He further proved it by firing several shots at another section of the brain, damaging it. His plan worked, many of the Crystal Titans going to repair the damage. Sadly, for them, the distraction was going to cost them._

 _The images were beginning to slow down, showing signs that the monster was getting exhausted, though she wasn't the only one. That feeling of light-heatedness was coming back and the wounds he sustained were getting excruciatingly painful. He needed something that could tell him instantly who the Female Titan was before he passed out._

 _"Who are you!?" he demanded. "You can't hide from me forever!"_

 _Finally, he found the memory that he was looking for: a moment where she was looking in the mirror. At last, he would finally see who this was._ ***2.**

 _In two seconds, he figured out who the Female Titan was._

 _In two seconds, he faced a realization he never could have conceived._

 _It was if time itself came to a grinding halt._

 _Looking at him, or the mirror due to the memory he found, was a blonde-haired, silver and blue-eyed girl. A girl he thought fondly of. A girl who meant the world to him._

 _"No," Dillon whispered with a mortified look, his hands shaking._

 _He let go of the sword and the darkness consumed him._

* * *

In the physical world, Dillon collapsed to the ground, exhausted from that intense attack. The Female Titan, on the other hand, stumbled backwards and fell right into a nearby house, destroying it. There was some blood coming from her ears and nose, but thanks to her regenerative abilities, her injuries would be healed soon. However, none of that mattered compared to the pain Dillon was going through. He was on his hands and knees with his head facing the ground.

"It's not true," he said on the verge of losing it. "It can't be true. You're back home waiting for me. It has to be a trick just to get me confused." He wasn't paying attention to the footsteps coming towards him as tears were starting to fall. "Please, don't. Don't do this to me."

The ground shook a little harder this time, forcing the blacksmith to look up. The Female Titan was now on her knees, staring down at him. Now, he noticed the resemblance. She had the same blond hair, the same nose shape, and the same silver-blue eyes as…as…

"Annie?" Dillon asked in a quiet, agonized voice.

Gone was the sadistic monster she presented herself as. Gone was the desire to complete her mission and kill all that got in her way. There was only sadness and regret in her eyes.

 _ **"I'm sorry, Dillon,"**_ Annie finally responded through their link.

 **3.*** His eyes widened when he heard her voice in his head. Only Annie and a few other people could use his mental link. It was slightly overlaid with the sound of the same deep voice he heard in her mind. Whatever doubts he had about her identity were instantly crushed the moment she spoke. The monster that killed so many people was the woman he loved. He clenched his teeth so hard, he thought they would shatter. Dillon never tried harder to not break down in all his life, and it was hurting him. The tears still fell, but they were restrained.

Out of the corner of his tear-filled eyes, he noticed the Female Titan's hand reaching out for him.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Dillon screamed, getting up quickly and slashing at her hand with his sword.

Instinctively, Annie retracted her hand with three less fingers attached to them.

Dillon backed up and pointed his bloodied sword at her while panting with rage. His emotions were boiling over beyond anything he had ever felt before, fury and agony leading the charge. He felt like he was going be consumed by them if the pain in his chest was anything to go by. He noticed that her expression had taken on hurt, but it wasn't because of the pain of losing three fingers, which were regenerating; it was because _he_ did that to her.

Seeing that made Dillon's rage spike. "No! You don't get to…! You don't…!" He was losing his ability to speak as the hand that held the sword was shaking violently. "You…!"

He couldn't hold it in any longer. The sword clattered to the ground as Dillon broke down completely, falling back to his knees. The tears cascaded down his face at an alarming rate as he wept loudly. The memories of his time with Annie flashed through his eyes, except now, her face was replaced by the Female Titan's. The memories were being tarnished by that thing! He was so caught up in them he didn't realize that her giant hand, now fully regenerated, had gently wrapped around his body. He gasped sharply when he felt her giant thumb brush against his face, taking away the tears that stained it. Her touch was full of tenderness, a stark contrast to the monster that murdered his friends.

Annie looked down at the human in her hand, an internal war raging within her mind. She knew that when the truth came out, Dillon was going to get hurt, but her imaginations of this moment paled to the real thing. Seeing him so betrayed, so vulnerable, so…broken made her want to put an end to her mission right then and there. The fact that she did this to him made it worse.

"Why?" Dillon asked, weak from the sobbing.

 _ **"You would never understand,"**_ she answered sadly.

"I can't understand if you don't tell me!" he exclaimed suddenly, wanting answers. "Please, talk to me, Annie!"

 _ **"I can't!"**_ the Female Titan shot back, her raised voice stunning him into silence. Feeling a little guilty, she lowered it back to normal tones. _**"I never wanted to hurt you, Dillon."**_

"Well, that fixes everything, doesn't it?" Dillon replied with biting sarcasm. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind when I walk over the corpses you've made."

 _ **"They attacked me first,"**_ she countered, the coldness she was known for coming back. _**"It's called self-defense."**_

"And Jensen!?" he demanded, glaring at her. "Was _that_ in self-defense!?"

" _ **Who's-?"**_ Annie stopped as she remembered the young man she held by his cable…and what she did to him.

"You _smiled_ ," Dillon stated with utter disgust. "You smiled as he begged for his life. You could've just ended his life quickly like the others, but instead, you spun him around like a _fucking toy!_ "

There was no rebuttal to that statement. In that one moment of weakness, Annie chose to enjoy something so horrible and wretched. Like everyone else she had killed, she would have to live with his death for the rest of her life.

Dillon went on with the intention of twisting the knife. "You know what's so funny? This was his last Expedition. Jensen was going to be a father, and because of you, his wife is a widow, and the child will grow up fatherless. Then again, who's to say you give a damn about any of that? Nothing like a good killing frenzy to brighten up your day, huh, Annie?"

Annie's eyes narrowed at those accusations. _**"You think you know me so well, don't you?"**_

It was at this moment Dillon made the effort to stare at the Female Titan's eyes directly. He spoke softly, but his words had the impact of a punch to the gut. "I never knew you at all." He felt a wetness come into his eyes again as his voice quivered a little. "I don't know if the girl I fell in love with was real or not. What was the point of it all? A twisted joke? Was it!?"

Annie didn't blame him for thinking that. That was the image she was presenting herself as. She let out a sigh, steam coming out her mouth, and explained. _**"Falling in love with you was never supposed to happen. I was supposed to remain detached and friendless so I could complete my mission without hesitation. I was going to end it on your birthday, Dillon. I wanted it to be so painful you would have no reason to try to seek me out…but you couldn't give me that, could you? How am I supposed to kill you…if I still love you?"**_

Dillon's eyes widened in response to the admission. If that was the case, then there was still hope. "Annie…please stop while you still have the chance. There's still time. M-Maybe there's a way we can salvage this somehow. Maybe we can-."

 _ **"We can't,"**_ she interrupted sadly. _**"It's too late for me. I started this and I intend to finish it."**_ She started stroking his cheek gently with her finger, her lips forming into a sad smile. _ **"Being with you was the best thing that ever happened to me, Dillon. I can never thank you enough for the time we had together."**_ A couple of tears fell down her face. _ **"I wish things could've been different, but I'm going down a path you can't follow."**_

"Annie, please!" Dillon begged, the tears streaming down his face again. "Don't do this!"

" _ **I have to,"**_ she replied, making his head sink. _**"I don't expect you to ever forgive me. Just know that I'm sorry this had to happen. Goodbye, Dillon."**_

Annie released her grip on him before flicking him directly into the side of a house. As he crashed against it, the last thing he saw was the moment where he and Annie shared their first kiss. He blacked out on impact, crumbling to the ground. He was alive, but to be sure, she checked his pulse and was relieved to feel his heartbeat. Quickly, she stood up, realizing that she wasted a lot of time talking to him. She needed to get to Eren before he got away.

Hardening her expression and wiping those tears away, the Female Titan charged out of the village, leaving behind four corpses and a shattered soul. ***2.**

* * *

 **AN: And here it is, folks! One of the biggest moments of been wanting to put out there for all of you to see. I have spent more time on this section (the last part where Dillon fights Annie) and another section that you will see eventually more than any chapter I've published. I really hope this was worth the wait. Until next time.**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Thank you all for your comments on the previous chapter. I know what all of your wishes are, but I am keeping my mouth shut as to how things are going to end.**

* * *

Chapter 18: A Really Bad Day

The anxiety continued to rise in Eren as he and Squad Levi entered the Forest of Giant Trees. The right flank had been decimated by that Abnormal everyone was talking about, and now they were isolated in the forest. The entire mission seemed to be spiraling with no end in sight. He wondered if his friends made it out, but he couldn't dwell on that. Not when there were more pressing matters to discuss.

"Captain! Captain Levi!"

"What?" he asked, his annoyance made clear.

"Come on, sir. We're in a forest," Eren pointed out nervously. "We won't see a Titan until its right on top of us. The center rank's totally cut off. Something's coming up on the right, isn't it? So, what are we supposed to do? Avoid Titans or defend the wagons?"

"Quit whining and move from the obvious already," Levi ordered. "Neither of those is an option anymore."

Eren was beyond confused at this point. "What…what are you talking about?"

Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Haven't you noticed what's around you? Take a look at these big-ass trees. Perfect environment for ODM gear, wouldn't you say?" When he didn't respond, the captain went on. "Take my advice, Eren: calm down and use your head. The best survival tool is your brain."

There were more questions Eren had, but he wisely didn't voice them at this time. "…Yes, sir."

"This doesn't make any sense," Oluo Bozado, the brown-haired man with the weird face, muttered. "What are we doing here? There's gotta be a reason. I mean, they know, right? They've gotta."

And just like that, Eren's nervous increased greatly at that. To think that Squad Levi, and perhaps even Captain Levi himself, were in the dark as to what was going on. Gunther Schultz, the black-haired guy in the squad, brought up the idea of a hidden objective within the Expedition, so hidden that Squad Levi was kept out of the loop, but what could it be at this point?

As he puzzled his mind for any possible answer, a gunshot was sounded behind him. He looked back and saw a stream of black heading towards the sky. "Black smoke!"

"It's right behind us," Gunther growled.

"Damn thing's been on our ass since we came here," Eld Jinn, the blonde-haired man, noted.

"Blades drawn now!" Levi ordered. "It'll happen in the blink of an eye. Be ready."

Instantly, each Scout pulled out a single sword, ready for the inevitable confrontation. There was a rumbling sound that was steadily getting louder. Sweat poured from their faces, both from being tired and from being nervous, but they were ready for this. This was what they were trained for.

Eren turned his head to see a Scout, facing whatever was attacking him. That something made itself known as the Female Titan charged out of the trees, snatching the Scout of the air. With her thumb, she punctured the gas tanks and she dropped him into some nearby bushes. With the Scout disabled, she ran next to the squad, preparing to intercept them.

"Go! Move it!" Levi commanded.

Eren's mouth dropped as her hand nearly snatched him off his horse. Skidding to a stop for a brief moment, the Female Titan charged at them, her prey finally in sight. He made the mistake by continuing to stare as an unsettling grin appeared on her face. That was going to be in his nightmares for a while.

"Oh, shit!" Gunther swore. "How the hell are we supposed to use evasive maneuvers in here!?"

"It's catching up!" Eld exclaimed.

"Captain, engage the ODM gear!?" Petra Ral, the ginger-haired woman of the Squad, questioned.

Levi didn't answer as he contemplated the situation.

"Captain!" she shouted, desperate for an answer, but she still didn't get one.

As the Female Titan pursued them, three Scouts zoomed out of the trees, going after her.

"Reinforcements!" Petra pointed out.

Two of the three Scouts moved in to attack her directly. She moved her head to the side and caught a hook that was aimed for her neck. Slowing down a little bit, she tossed the soldier right into the trunk of a tree, knocking him out. She grabbed another hook, pulling the second Scout towards her. Once again, she punctured the gas tanks and dropped him onto the road, bruised, but alive.

"She's…she's sparing them!?" Eren exclaimed, his fear of the Titan lessening a little bit.

"That doesn't make sense!" Gunther replied, equally surprised. "Why would she start sparing the Scouts now of all times? It takes less effort to kill us then it is to keep us alive!"

Oluo shook his head. "She's still dangerous! We need to take her down now! On your word, Captain!"

Eld let out a snarl. "I don't care if she's grown a conscience in the last few minutes. I'll cut that bitch!"

Petra shook it off and tried getting Levi's attention again. "Captain, say something!"

In an instant, the entire squad minus Eren started clamoring, demanding to know what needed to happen. The green-eyed boy knew that this Titan still wiped out the right wing, and he was still enraged about all the people she killed, but it's recent actions caught him completely off guard. It was clear that she was like him, a human in a Titan's body, hence why she was performing such intelligent actions. Why did she start caring about the blood on her hands?

"Cover your ears!" Levi finally stated, pulling out his flare gun.

Quickly, the Squad did as he said as he pointed it into the air. He pulled the trigger, which let out a shot that let out a high-pitched noise. Despite their efforts, the sound was still deafening to them. Fortunately, it wasn't permanent as it slowly went away.

"Was that an acoustic round?" Eren asked.

Levi ignored him and addressed his squad. "Remind me, what is our mission again? Is it to simply act on impulse in the heat of the moment? Let me answer that question for you: it's not. This squad's mission is to keep this brat alive whatever the cost. Don't forget it." He sighed. "I don't know what that Titan's game is, but the situation hasn't changed. We keep pushing forward on horseback. Is that clear?"

"As a bell, sir!" Petra answered.

"But for how long?" Eren wondered. "We can't keep running forever. She's right on top of us as it is. If we don't do something soon-." His eyes widened as a couple more Scouts joined the fray. Yet again, she snatched them out of the air, destroyed their tanks, dropped them in some bushes, and continued forward. "Why is she doing this!?"

"Eyes front!" Gunther demanded angrily. "Stop looking behind us!"

"Eren, we want answers as much as you do!" Eld stated, getting his attention, "but, unless Levi's planning to sit down and discuss the matter with her over tea, we stay the course!"

 _He's making jokes because he feels that risk of dying is lessened._ Eren thought. _She may be sparing the Scouts, but maybe that's just to lull in me into a false sense of security. Whatever her reasons are, she won't stop at nothing to get me, unless..._ He sheathed his sword and slowly raised his hand. _I can take her down myself. I don't need to depend on anyone. As a Titan, I'm practically an entire squad._ He put his teeth on it, preparing to draw blood.

"No, Eren!" Petra yelled before it was too late. "You're only to assume Titan form when your life's in extreme peril! That was the agreement! You swore an oath!"

 _There's a Female Titan trying after me!_ Eren stated mentally. _I'm damn sure this constitutes as "extreme peril."_

"Eren!" she pleaded.

"I wouldn't blame you," Levi surprisingly said. "Do as your conscious dictates…but Eren, listen. You are not inherently evil. Your ability to change doesn't make you a monster."

Eren was reminded of a moment when, a couple weeks prior, he accidentally transformed. It was a partial transformation, but still. Levi Squad was prepared to cut his head off, believing him to be a threat to humanity. Only the intervention of Levi and Hanji was he able to survive the encounter. Granted, Hanji was more interested in studying the Titan corpse he left behind. Despite his squad apologizing for their actions, it was still hard to forget that incident and how quickly they turned on him. It was one of the reasons why he was hesitant to trust them now.

"That said, it could be the other way around," Levi added. "How are you supposed to know when to draw the line? Whether you lose control or freely give it up. Maybe it's the same." He sighed. "Look, Eren, we don't agree because our experiences brings us to opposing views. That's life. At the end of the day, there's no reason to go against how you see it. The choice is yours. You can trust yourself, or you can trust the people who are willing to put their lives on the line for you. I don't know which way is better. I never have. Should I act on my own instincts, or put myself in the hands of my comrades and trust them? Either way, there's no guarantee. In the end, you choose what you choose. If afterwards, your regrets are at a minimum, good for you."

Now, Eren was truly conflicted. He didn't want to needlessly endanger his squad, no matter what the Female Titan was doing. On the other hand, if he did transform, that would show that he didn't trust them and could fracture whatever bond he had with Squad Levi. Not to mention the fact that these Scouts were the best of the best, and if they were confident enough to stay the course…then he figured that maybe he should to.

"Eren…please, trust us," Petra pleaded.

"Come on, make up your damn mind!" Levi urged.

Gritting his teeth, Eren yelled, "I'm with you!"

The remaining Scout that was going after the Female Titan was trapped in her hand. She slowed down a little bit and slammed him into the tree hard enough to knock him out. With those Scouts out of the way, she continued her pursuit. In fact, she picked up the pace, sand and dirt kicking up behind her.

"She's accelerating!" Gunther exclaimed.

"Keep going!" Levi responded.

 _At this rate, she'll catch us for sure._ Eren thought before shaking his head. _No, his squad trusts in him, and I have to as well. We're at death's door, and we've lost so many soldiers, but we push forward._ He looked up and noticed the Female Titan's hand was reaching at for him.

"FIRE!" Erwin's voice commanded.

Suddenly, the trees erupted with hooks firing from every direction. Hundreds of them penetrated the Titan's skin, but she had enough time to cover her nape with her hands. She was completely trapped and immobilized, her chase finally coming to an end.

"Everyone, hitch your horses a bit further on," Levi ordered. "Switch to ODM gear. I have to break away for a little while. Eld's in charge until I get back." Preparing to depart, the captain turned around. "Tuck Eren away out of sight, away from the Female Titan…and see to my horse!" With that, he fired a hook into the nearest tree and took off towards the capture site.

Eren was still in shock. They managed to capture the most dangerous Titan he had ever seen. Normally, he would be livid that they were taking her alive, but after she started sparing the Scouts, he wanted answers.

"What do you think of us now, Eren?" Gunther questioned. "We managed to outsmart the damn thing!"

"Let this be a lesson to you, greenhorn," Oluo added. "Don't ever underestimate the Scouts! Never again! Agreed?"

"Agreed," Eren answered.

Their stoic faces quickly melted into grins. It was finally over.

Back at the site, Levi grappled up next to Erwin. "She's not putting up much of a fight," he noticed.

"That's no reason to let our guard down," Erwin told him. "Good work leading her here. I'm more than a little impressed."

"Erwin…she spared the rear contingent," Levi informed.

The commander of the Scouts gave him a surprised look. "What?"

"She took the effort to make sure they would survive, but destroyed their tanks or knocked them out so they wouldn't interfere," he elaborated. "I'll be sending some Scouts to pick them up."

"I see." Erwin stared at the Female Titan from behind. Who knew what she was thinking. "It doesn't change much, but it is something to consider."

"I think it got to her," Levi theorized. "Her conscious is probably plaguing her right now, but what I don't get is what could have caused this."

"…Perhaps we can use her regret to our advantage."

The captain snorted. "Planning on cutting a deal, Commander?"

Instead of answering him, Erwin turned to the rest of the cannon men. "Second and third waves, fire!"

As if there weren't enough hooks in her already, about 200 more penetrated her skin, making movement completely impossible.

"We need a little insurance," he explained.

Levi glared daggers at her. "I can't believe we're actually considering something so stupid."

"Levi, she has answers we need," Erwin reminded him firmly. "If we can somehow get her to cooperate with us-."

"The right wing is dead because of her!" Levi exclaimed. "Are you seriously going to act like that never happened?"

"No!" Now it was Erwin's turn to glare at him. "Do not think of me so callous as to brush of their deaths like they were nothing. We did what was necessary, and we have to live with the deaths of our brave Scouts. Right now, we have to decide the best way to deal with her. I'm keeping every possibility open."

Levi sighed, the day getting to him. "Do what you have to do."

Down below, Hanji was having the time of her life. "Poor thing. Can't so much as bat an eyelash, can she? Must be terribly frustrating. Get used to it, my dear." As whenever she was dealing with Titans, the more excited Hanji got, the creepier she became. "Biology can sometimes be a curse. Case in point, the more your wounds heal, the stiffer your joints become!" She let out a laugh before looking up at the trees. "Now, what in the world is the holdup for the extraction of our esteemed guest? It won't get any easier. Strike while the iron is hot, I say."

Deciding it was best to hold all the cards, Erwin ordered Levi and Mike to cut her hands off in order to leave her nape exposed. Both men drew their swords and plummeted towards her. To their surprise, a layer of blue crystal appeared on her hands just before their swords made contact. Their weapons practically exploded on impact, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

 _An impressive ability._ Erwin thought as the two men fell back. _She can harden portions of her body. Question is…how many blade strikes will it take to cut our way through? Too many in any event. Time is short._ With a single gesture, he summoned one of the cannon men.

"Yes, sir?" he asked.

"Prepare an artillery round," Erwin ordered. "Should she refuse to cooperate, I want her hands blown up."

The Scout staggered back. "With…with all due respect, Commander, there's a risk if we use the cannons. The hands _will_ get blown off, but whatever's beneath them will too, sir."

"A fine point, soldier," he agreed, "which is why you'll aim carefully and sever them at the wrists." He put a hand on his shoulder. "On my signal, I want an all-out salvo."

"Yes, sir."

Replenishing his blades, Levi returned a landed directly on the Female Titan's head. "Knock, knock. We know you're in there," he said with a sinister voice. "Why don't you make this easy and come out and stop wasting our time? Seriously, what can you hope to gain by stalling? If you're thinking we'll let you go, we won't. If you're thinking of trying to escape, don't. All you should be thinking about are the good men you killed today. That was what you were thinking about when you spared the rear contingent, wasn't it?"

She let out a soft growl, confirming Levi's suspicions.

"Remorse stings, doesn't it?" Levi went on, sounding slightly sympathetic. "The minute you start letting it in, it snakes through your mind, refusing to let up. So…what the hell happened that gave you a change of heart?"

The Female Titan stayed silent.

He snorted. "You know what? I don't care right now. Despite the blood on your hands, I'm trying to be nice here. So, here are your two options: you come out and we talk on your own volition, or we blow your hands off, drag you out, and force you to spill everything. What's it going to be? If you're smart as I think you are, you know this isn't a tough call."

For a moment, there was dead silence between them. It was almost like she was considering his words. Then, she opened her mouth and let out a loud, deafening roar. The forest seemed to shake in response and the Scouts had to cover their ears. Once the ran out of breath, the Female Titan went back to being silent.

"Nicely done," Levi complemented sarcastically. "I almost lost my composure."

Mike, however, smelled the air and zoomed up to Erwin's position. "They're coming."

"From where?" the commander questioned.

"From every direction," he answered. "Fast. Dozens!"

Erwin's eyes widened as he felt the ground rumble violently. They were coming. "Faster on the artillery, gentlemen!" he commanded, drawing his sword.

Mike growled. "There they are. First waves closing in on the east. They're coming in fast!"

Seeing them, Erwin tried to salvage the situation. "Wagon defense squad, intercept now!"

A trio of Scouts charged for the Titans, but to their surprise, they paid them no heed and continued to run. Their target seemed to be the Female Titan.

"What the hell!?" a Scout exclaimed. "They past right by us!"

"Three Titans have broken through!" another Scout announced. "Captain Levi!"

"Hey, what did you do!?" Levi demanded, slamming his foot on her head angrily. "You called in some friends, didn't you!?"

With a growl, Levi launched himself at the Titans, cutting them down in a matter of seconds. He wasn't called Humanity's Strongest Soldier for nothing. However, a four-meter got past him and started biting the Female Titan's leg. To make matters worse, about a dozen more Titans showed up, intent on going after her.

"All hands, commence combat!" Erwin shouted. "Defend the Female Titan at all costs!"

With a battle cry, the Scouts charged, slicing at the Titans with everything they had. Unfortunately, there were too many of them. Once the bigger ones reached her, they started dismembering her, biting off her arms. They were devouring her before them. No matter how many Titans died, more showed up to take their place. Once the Female Titan's head was removed, Erwin closed his eyes, realizing that the mission had failed. There was a time to fight, and a time to retreat. The time for fighting was over.

"All hands, fall back!" he ordered. "Redeploy the formation! Fall back to Karanes District!"

Reluctantly, the Scouts withdrew, letting the Titans have the prize. They fled to the trees, watching the monsters cannibalize their own. All that remained were pieces of flesh and bones.

"We've been bested," Erwin said, sounding defeated.

"Don't give me that crap!" Levi snarled. "Not now. Not yet!"

"Think about it," he continued. "The enemy was prepared to make sacrifices. Enormous ones. So committed to keeping her secret, she would rather let herself be cannibalized than exposed."

"That whole song and dance in the courtroom, and _this_ is what we've got to show for it," Levi said, clearly upset. "We scurry back home with our tails between our legs, and Eren's right back in chains or worse. I doubt Carolyn can do anything about it this time."

"Don't go jumping off that bridge until we get to it," Erwin warned. "Right now, our only concern is getting back without sustaining further casualties however we can." He stared at the steam for a moment, contemplating the situation.

"I'll go gather my squad," Levi said, preparing to move out.

"Not yet," Erwin stated. "Replenish you blades and your fuel."

"I can deal with what I've got," he shot back. "We're running against the clock as it is. Why?"

"Because I said," Erwin answered in a tone that held no room for argument. "That's an order."

There was a brief pause before the captain spoke again. "Whatever you say, sir. I trust you implicitly."

As Levi left, the gears turned in Erwin's head. He saw the Titans devour the Titan, but the not the person inside. If his instincts were right, and they usually were, this day wasn't over yet.

* * *

Deep in the forest and wearing a stolen cloak with ODM gear, Annie brushed the sweat off her forehead. That was far too close for comfort, but it had to be done. She had to complete her mission now before it was too late, before Eren got away. It was true what Levi had said, that she was feeling remorse, but she had to put it aside. Every second she spent thinking about it drove him further away. Every second she spent thinking about…

 _"Annie, please! Don't do this!"_

She shook her head, trying to get him out of her head. Ever since that incident, his voice had been plaguing her mind, like he was manifesting into her conscious. The guilt was starting to eat away at her, creating doubt in her mind. Was this even worth it anymore?

 _Yes._ She answered to herself as she pulled out a flare gun. _I know what I'm fighting for._

Taking a deep breath, after all the blue flares signaling the retreat were fired, she fired a green flare into the air and waited. She hoped Squad Levi would believe her to be their captain and respond. Pretty soon, a streak of green filled the air. They weren't too far ahead.

 _Don't worry, Dad._ Annie thought as she tossed the flare aside and prepared to go after them. _I'll be home soon._

* * *

Up ahead, Eren flew with Squad Levi as they finished telling stories about their first encounters with the Titans. For once, he finally felt like part of the group, and was finally able to relax around them. It had been a hard mission for all of them, but the Expedition was over, the Female Titan's identity was discovered. Despite the losses they suffered, in a way, capturing her was an incredible victory.

As he continued thinking about these things, Gunther noticed a cloaked figure zooming next to them. "Captain Levi?" he asked, confused. Then, his eyes widened. "Wait, that's not the captain. Oh, shit!"

The mysterious Scout quickly changed course, charging for him. Before Gunther could react, a precise sword slash severed one of his lines. He let out a scream as he fell, but the remaining line tightened, saving him from an untimely demise. However, due to his momentum, he crashed headfirst into a tree, out cold in an instant.

The rest of the squad turned around, flabbergasted at how quickly that happened.

"Gunther!" Eren cried out, heading towards him. "Are you okay!?" Once he saw that he wasn't dead, he announced, "He's still alive!"

"We'll have to go back for him later!" Oluo stated, dragging Eren away quickly. "Keep moving!"

"We're just leaving him!?" Eren shouted as he started grappling away.

Behind them, the traitorous Scout was following them quickly.

"Who is that!?" Petra demanded, furious that they had been played.

"Keep her away from Eren!" Eld ordered, realizing who was tracking them down.

"Damn it," Oluo swore. "Hey, Eld, what are we doing?"

"There isn't time to get the horses," he stated. "Make for HQ at full speed!"

To their surprise, the assailant headed away from them, disappearing into the trees.

"Is that the Female Titan, or did she have an accomplice?" Oluo wondered.

"Whoever it is, they're gonna pay if it's the last thing I do!" Petra promised, eyes blazing with rage. It didn't matter if Gunther was alive. Since her mission was take or kill Eren, the Female Titan was going to destroy humanity, so sparing them meant squat at this point.

Eren looked back along with the others, and a bolt of lightning crashed down, causing an explosion of energy that crackled around them.

"I hate being right," Oluo complained.

"No time to lose," Eld reminded them. "Move it! It's coming for us!"

Like something from their worst nightmares, the Female Titan emerged in her fourteen-meter form, chasing after them. Her eyes seemed to glow as she ran, giving off a very creepy look.

"Damn you!" Eren cursed, furious. "Not again! I'll kill you! I swear I will end you!" He raised his hand to his mouth again.

"Eren, don't!" Eld intervened. "We've got this. The three of us can handle her. You get back to base! Go, now!"

"I can fight, too!" Eren protested.

"For the love of God, Eren, just go!" Eld shot back. "This is our only course of action! We cannot afford to put you at risk!"

"Have you learned nothing?" Oluo questioned, insulted. "After all this, you still doubt our skill!?"

"Is that true, Eren!?" Petra added, looking hurt by the unsaid statement. "I thought you had faith in us! That you trusted us!"

Eren gritted his teeth, but conceded and took off, sheathing his swords. "I have faith in the Levi Squad! Good luck!"

With Eren out of harm's way, the trio turned around to take on the Female Titan.

"You get one chance to stand down!" Eld warned as he approached her.

She let out a growl as if she was saying, "Bring it."

"Take her down hard and fast!"

Eld charged forward, prompting her to take a swipe at him, but he pulled back, releasing an excess of smoke that blinded her. With her concentration briefly stilted, Oluo and Petra moved in, slashing out her eyes before she could stop them. With her eyesight gone, she was forced to cover her nape with both hands and back up against a tree so they couldn't reach it.

"There, that should buy us a minute until she regenerates!" Eld informed them.

"We'll reach her well before then," Petra assured.

"To hell with capturing her," Oluo added. "We're gonna kill you!"

"We're gonna carve you up!" Petra promised.

"We'll make you pay, bitch!" Oluo finished. "Sparing Gunther changed nothing!"

Oluo and Petra once again made their move. This time, they swung up into the air before plummeting down, slicing her body just above the chest in two different locations, and that was just the beginning. Eld joined in the fray, cutting up her arms and severing the tendons within them. Soon, her arms went limp and fell down, useless.

"Now go for the neck!" Eld ordered, going in first with blades at the ready.

"Take out the muscles supporting her head!" Oluo advised.

"Let's carve our way to the nape!" Petra stated.

It was clear the Squad Levi was out for blood at this point, and there would be no stopping them.

However, one of the Female Titan's eyes popped open far sooner than they anticipated. Eld was in no position to dodge as she bit down on him, trapping him in her mouth. It was so tempting to bite him in half. She could do it and they could do nothing about, and yet, she lowered her head, and spat him out. Eld went tumbling across the ground before slamming into the trunk of tree. Groaning, he was out in seconds.

"Eld!" Petra screamed. Her gear started to malfunction and she was unable to get higher than the ground level. "She can see again!? That's impossible!" Then, it hit her. The Female Titan channeled all her regeneration abilities into reforming one eye, which was currently staring at her. Petra was next.

With a growl, the Titan charged at the ginger-haired woman, causing her to panic. Her arms were useless, but her legs weren't.

"Petra, pull yourself together!" Oluo shouted, trying to get to her before _she_ did. "Pull up!"

It was no use. She couldn't get away. Yet again, the extension of mercy went to her as well, for once she got close enough, she simply stepped on her line, stopping Petra completely. She looked up in shock just in time to get kicked aside. It was a very light kick, for Titan standards, but it was enough to knock her out.

That left Oluo, who growled angrily. Once again, Squad Levi was humiliated and played. He was not going to let her get away with this. Firing a hook into her neck, he zoomed towards her, intent on slicing open her nape. Unfortunately, her nape crystalized just before he slashed. The swords broke apart, leaving him defenseless. Quickly, the Female Titan grabbed his line by her teeth and slung him aside, her intention to knock him out as well. When he hit the tree, though, there was a sickening sound as his neck broke on impact. Her single eye widened as he fell lifelessly to the ground.

 _Damn it!_ She thought.

Eren, who came back when he heard Squad Levi failing, was beside himself. They had tried so hard to bring her down, but they were unable to stop her. And now, Oluo was dead. He may not have liked him as much as the others, but he was a good soldier. He was one of the best. And now…he was gone.

Something inside the Titan Shifter snapped. This monster killed so many soldiers just to get to him, and another soldier paid the ultimate price. He wasn't going to take it anymore. Not now, or ever again. He trusted them, and they failed. Now…it was his turn.

"I'm going to…KILL YOU!"

Biting down on his hand at last, there was another explosion as Eren's Titan form manifested around him. As he landed on the ground, he let out an enraged roar. For once, the Female Titan had the sense to look nervous as he ran at her like an out-of-control predator. Good, because he was going to rip her apart.

Forming his hand into a fist, he launched a haymaker, which she dodged. His Titan body was more sluggish than hers, giving her the opportunity to kick him in the ribs. She couldn't really fight back until her wounds were recovered, so she just had to stall for time. Eren pushed back, making her slam against a tree. Groaning a bit, the Female Titan moved to the left as steam erupted from her wounds. Just a little longer.

With a snarl, Eren launched a three-punch combo, but none of them hit her. She was too fast for them, even for the uppercut her threw next. Finally, the punch after that connected, sending her toppling to the ground. She managed to land on her feet and started running away, causing Eren to chase after her. His roars continued to shake the forest as his anger increased. He continued to attack her, yet she moved like a dancer, nimbly dodging his attacks. It was getting infuriating. However, she slipped and fell backwards. Before she could get up, Eren was on top of her, pinning her down.

 _I made the wrong choice when you came after us!_ He thought angrily. _I made the choice…to trust my teammates, and it got Oluo killed!_

He threw a punch at her, but she moved just enough for his hand to hit the ground instead, creating a hole in it. Eren yelled in pain as he felt his hand and arm break.

 _I should never have left it to them!_ He continued, clearly in anguish. _I should have fought her from the very start!_ He was losing control of his emotions. _It's all my fault! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED HER!_

With another roar, Eren slammed his fist into the ground, missing her again. Now, both hands were broken. The two Titans were locked into a staring contest, waiting to see who would regenerate first.

 _I should have changed into a Titan then._ He lamented, thinking about when she went after them the second time. _No, even before that. I should have fought back, and with Captain Levi there, we would've beaten her! We could've captured this monster! You think sparing a few Scouts changes what you are!? Do you!? You're nothing but a killer who wants to destroy humanity! I've made my choice and you've made yours!"_ His voice was becoming more feral and his Titan form began shaking. Something was wrong, but he didn't care. _Once my hands heal, I'm going to rip you out, and I will DEVOUR YOU!_

Suddenly, her other eye opened, and she grabbed his arm, snapping out of whatever frenzy he was in briefly. Wrestling with Eren, she pulled back and kick him in the chest hard, sending him flying backwards and into a tree. Getting over his shock, he quickly got up, his attacks becoming sloppy and predictable. His punches missed and he threw one so hard he actually tumbled to the ground. Eren tried so hard to hit her, but he kept missing her. Why the hell did she have to be so good at fighting.

Once he got close, the Female Titan hardened her hand, and delivered a nasty uppercut, destroying his jaw. However, he managed to bring it around and slam his fist into her gut so hard that she was sent flying into the air, hitting the ground hard. Considering the missing jaw he had, the bruised back she received was nothing. Getting up quickly, she moved out of the way of his knee, which slammed into the tree instead.

He was exhausted, and bleeding. The fight was starting to give out of him. Eren put up his fists for one final assault, and then she took a stance. A very familiar stance. His eyes widened in horror. _No, it can't be._

The Female Titan took advantage of his hesitation and hardened her leg. When she swung it, his world went black.

* * *

The kick Annie launched not only cut the tree he was standing next down, but it beheaded him, too, making the body sink to its knees. She was relieved that she had beat Eren, but she also felt guilty. Despite what other people thought, she did think of Eren as her friend, but she couldn't think about that right now. All she had to do was collect him and get the hell out of this place. It would be hard to keep Eren under constant supervision and restraint, but she was prepared for that. It didn't matter if he hated her anymore; all that mattered was finishing her mission.

With a grimace, she knelt down next to the headless corpse and began opening her mouth. The strands of flesh keeping her jaw connected stretched beyond normal capacity and even snapped in some places. Her jaw was completely unhinged. She bit down on the nape and tore it out, exposing Eren to the outside. Spitting out the piece of flesh, she bended over, ready to trap him inside her mouth.

When she blinked, she didn't see Eren anymore, but Dillon, who had tears streaming down his face.

 _"Annie, please!"_ he begged.

Eyes widening, Annie recoiled away, slamming her jaw shut. She shook her head, trying to shake that image out of her mind, but it refused to leave her alone. It was like he was haunting her now, preying on her conscious again.

 _I spared those soldiers!_ She thought angrily. _Isn't that enough for you!?_

"Eren!" a familiar voice cried out.

Of course, _she_ had to be here. Quickly, Annie pulled Eren out of the nape just as Mikasa made her appearance. She gasped when she saw her best friend trapped in her grip, and prepared to attack. The Female Titan roared, warning her to back off. Realizing what she was doing, Mikasa lowered her weapons, her glare fixated on this monster.

Satisfied that she wasn't about to be attacked, Annie stared at Eren, who was looking at her with fear on his face.

 _Stop looking at me like that._ She pleaded inwardly. _Stop making this so hard, Eren._

"Why are you doing this?" he asked weakly.

Of course, he had to ask _that_ question.

Annie growled, angry at herself for not just taking him and run. It was becoming harder and harder to do so. She had to do it. There was no other option. Why was she hesitating now of all times?

Then it came to her: Dillon. He did this to her. She let him into her life, and he changed her outlook on so many things, including her mission. She had fallen in love with the man and now she was paying for it. The memories of her encounter with him were coming to the forefront of her mind, and they wouldn't leave her alone. They were taunting her, reminding her of how much she had hurt him. She could still see the hurt, the pain, how betrayed he was, and so much more, and it broke her heart just thinking about it.

 _"Promise me…you'll come home."_

 _"Annie, please!"_

 _I…I can't do this anymore._ She concluded. She loved her father…but she loved Dillon Amsdale more.

With a sigh and an apologetic look, Annie moved towards the Oriental that was watching her every move. It was time to put an end to this. All of it.

* * *

Mikasa's eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets. The Female Titan, the creature that had torn through their ranks like they were nothing, moved towards her. She prepared for a fight, but she didn't get one. Covering her nape with her hand in case she tried something, the Female Titan gently lowered Eren to the ground, and opened her hand, letting him go. She wasn't toying with him, or planning on stepping on him. She just…released him. Carefully, Mikasa glided down to the ground, slowly approaching Eren. As much as she wanted the Titan dead, he was top priority. Any sudden movements could endanger him.

Said Titan Shifter couldn't understand it. After all she did to reach him, she changed her mind? He remembered that she started sparing the Scouts, and that, in retrospect, Oluo's death was an accident, but…this made no sense.

"Why?" Eren asked again, on the verge of passing out.

She just stared down at him for a moment before standing to her full height. Mikasa, who had reached Eren, stood in front of him, sword raised. However, there would be no fight, for the Female Titan turned and ran deeper into the forest. Within a minute, she vanished from sight.

"Eren!" Mikasa exclaimed, embracing him tightly. "Are you all right!?"

"I…I don't know," he answered weakly. "I don't know what's going on."

"Come on!" Levi interrupted, landing next to them. "Titans will be swarming soon."

"…Captain…your squad…"

"They're safe," he assured. "Oluo…he didn't make it." The captain was clearly grieved, but he remained calm. "Let's go. It's over."

Hoisting Eren over her shoulder, Mikasa took off. She looked back, thinking that the Female Titan would try again, but she didn't see her. She was just gone. _Whoever you are…you're dead._

* * *

 **AN: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope you don't mind me skipping past many of the of the internal monologues. I only put in the ones that I deem necessary. We're gonna have two short ones coming up before some (hopefully) long ones. It's not over yet.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Truth Revealed

Levi let out a sigh, massaging his head as he rode out of the forest with a team of Scouts. It had been half an hour since the fight, and he was exhausted. He considered his squad lucky that the Female Titan had started showing mercy, but the same couldn't be said for Oluo or the people she killed prior to the change of heart. Oluo had a rather large family, and he was not looking forward to telling them that he was dead. No matter the man's faults, it was an honor to fight alongside him and he would never forget him.

Eren had passed out shortly after Mikasa carried him away, and he was greatly worried for the boy's future. None of what happened was his fault. She was just too experienced and he was too green. The Military Police wouldn't care about that as long as they got their precious Titan to experiment on and dissect. If worse came to worse, Levi would break him out of there and get him into hiding. He was humanity's last hope and a good kid, and he refused to let him suffer at their hands. He also decided to meet up with Carolyn to make sure she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire if things went south.

The minute he thought of Carolyn, he immediately thought of Dillon. He hadn't seen him since the Expedition started. He was with Darius's squad, a squad that he also hadn't heard from. If the Female Titan encountered them, and he was as headstrong as they said he was…

 _Am I going to find your body, Amsdale?_ He wondered. _If I do, will I recognize it?_

"Captain, we found more survivors," one of the Scouts announced, riding back with a couple wounded.

"Just like the others," Levi noted. "Injured, but alive."

"There's a village across the bridge," he continued as the wounded were led to a wagon to be checked on. "Seemed like there was a fight over there."

"Let's check it out," Levi suggested, riding forward.

Nodding, the Scouts followed him as they entered the village and what they saw made them stop. There were four bodies lying on the ground. One of them was a bloodstain, the second was crushed into a house, the third was horrible mangled with an open-mouthed scream, and fourth seemed to be…in a sitting position nearby.

"We've got a live one," Levi stated, jumping off the horse and rushing to him. "Soldier, are you injured?"

There was no response.

"I asked you a question," he said, kneeling down next to him. "Are you-? Amsdale."

Sure enough, it was Dillon and looked like he had been through the worst kind of hell. His eyes were vacant, almost as if they were dead. His breathing was shallow, and he just sat there without moving. He didn't even give an inclination that he heard Levi.

"Kid…can you hear me?" Levi asked quietly.

He still didn't move or talk.

He let out a sad sigh, looking at the other Scouts. "He's in shock. We'll have to carry him back."

"Yes, sir," the Scouts replied, helping Dillon onto one of their horses.

"The rest of you…gather the bodies," Levi ordered. "We're bringing them home."

They saluted and got right to work.

Before he left, Levi took notice of something. This was the first carnage he had seen. These people were killed brutally and effectively, but outside the village, the rest became wounded. This was where the bloodshed ended. Whatever the Female Titan was doing before changed after she left this village, and something in his gut told him Dillon knew what.

 _What does the kid have to do with any of this?_ He wondered as he galloped out of there. _I won't know until he talks…if he talks._

For the next couple of hours, the Scouts were persistent in searching the fields for every wounded soldier or corpse they could find. Once they passed the boundaries of the village, that's when the bodies started piling up. They found Darius's corpse near his horse…what was left of him, that is. Many of the bodies were chewed up, but the majority of them were crushed in some fashion. The bodies just reminded the Scouts of how easily hope could be taken away. They wrapped the corpses up in with cloth with the intention of burying them once they got back to the Walls. At least they could give them that shred of decency.

The rookies were all given separate tasks. Ymir, Krista, Connie, and Sasha were attending the horses, which meant bandaging their wounds and preparing them for the ride home. Jean and Armin, however, had the job of aiding the Scouts with filling up the wagons with bodies.

"This is the part of the job I'll never get used to," Jean said sadly.

"You're not alone in that," Armin replied.

The brown-haired teen shuddered. "Feels like death is just everywhere. All I can think about is how will it end? Which one of us is next and whether it'll be me?"

"Try not to obsess over it," Armin advised after a pause. "Only thing that train of thought is good for is breaking your nerve. Believe me. Push it out of your mind."

He let out a sigh as he and Armin carried in the last body. "I suppose you're right. No, I _know_ you're right."

As they put the body with the others, Captain Levi approached them. "Arlert! Kirstein!"

The two saluted quickly. "Sir?"

"We found Dillon Amsdale," he said.

Jean's eyes widened. "You found him? Is he all right!?"

"No," Levi answered. "Come with me."

Quickly, the two jumped out of the wagon and followed him with worried expressions on their faces. Their minds raced with possibilities as to why the captain wanted them to see him, the biggest possibility being he encountered the Female Titan and came out gravely injured. If that happened, Jean would make it his mission in life to find and destroy her.

"The squad Amsdale was a part of encountered the Female Titan," Levi explained. "They were all killed except for him."

"Why did she spare him?" Jean wondered.

"I don't know," the captain admitted. "He's been unresponsive ever since we recovered him."

Levi led them to a wagon where Dillon was placed in. He was sitting on the edge and looking down on the ground. His expression nearly mirrored the stare Armin gave when he watched Eren get eaten back in Trost.

"Dillon!" Jean exclaimed.

The blacksmith didn't respond, remaining motionless.

"If he says anything, report it immediately," Levi ordered, walking away.

Sighing, Jean kneeled down so that he could see his face. "Hey, buddy, can you hear me?"

Silence was the answer.

"Dillon…it's me, Jean," he said, trying to find something to elicit a response. "Come on, man. Say something."

He continued to say nothing.

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing," Jean muttered.

Armin finally spoke up, getting an idea. "Jean…I don't think there's anything we can do. I think the only people that can reach him right now are his parents…or Annie."

"Yeah, good idea," Jean agreed before turning back to him. "It's gonna be all right. Once we're back in the-."

"I…" Dillon whispered suddenly. He wasn't looking at them, but there was a slight shift in his expression. The despair in his eyes got more apparent.

The brown-haired teen clamped his mouth shut, seeing if he had anything more to say.

"…I know who she is," Dillon said.

Jean's eyes widened at that startling revelation. "What?"

Armin's gamble had paid off. Ever since the Female Titan reacted when he called Eren the "suicidal maniac," his suspicions about who she really was increased. With Dillon in the state he was in and being the only one left alive in his squad, it was obvious that he was spared like he was. The clincher was when he reacted the moment he said Annie's name.

"Who is she!?" Jean questioned. "And how do you know!?"

And just like that, Dillon returned to his silent state.

"Dillon!"

"He's gone," Armin said sadly. "I'm gonna go tell the captain what happened."

Nodding and calming down, Jean grabbed Dillon's shoulder. "Don't worry. We're going home soon."

Once Scouts reported Titan activity to far from their position, the Regiment mounted their steeds and took off for Karanes District. Mikasa stayed close to Eren while Jean stayed close to Dillon, the two being in wagons close to the front. They were on the homestretch.

"Wait!" a voice called out from behind them.

A few of the Scouts looked behind them to see two Titans running after a couple of stragglers, one of which was carrying a body on his back. Several of the soldiers didn't take having to leave some of the bodies behind very well, so two of them decided to head out into Titan territory to retrieve one of them.

"Titans spotted at the rear!" the Scouts announced as a red flare was fired into the air.

"Full speed, all soldiers!" Erwin ordered.

"Our best chance might be to circle back," Levi suggested. "Make a beeline for the trees. We can't put up much of a fight out here."

Erwin shook his head. "No, our best option is to make for the Wall."

Levi growled, but he didn't debate the commander.

The soldier carrying the body, a man named Dieter, ducked under a Titan swinging his hand at him. Unfortunately, the wind from the attempted attack caused the body to fall off. His eyes widened in shock, but things got worst. The Scout that went with him was plucked off his horse, letting out bloodcurdling screams as he was mercilessly devoured. Dieter, enraged, attempted to kill the Titan singlehandedly only to be trapped in its fist. As he screamed in terror, Mikasa pulled back and launched herself at the Titan, cutting its nape quickly. As the beast fell, Dieter crawled out of his hand, terrified and ashamed. In his attempt to bring his friend's body home, he caused the death of another Scout.

The other Titan, on the other hand, was more focused on pursuing the Scouts who were riding along with the bodies.

"It's about to be right on top of us!" Armin exclaimed.

"Terrific," Connie replied sarcastically. "As if this day couldn't get any worse."

"Ground's too flat to engage ODM gear, and not only that…" He looked to his left and noticed three more Titans coming after them. "…we'll soon be outnumbered."

"Come on, Armin!" the bald teen pleaded. "There has to be something we can do."

Armin eyed the wagon that contained the bodies. With that added weight, the horses were slower than the usually were. There was only one thing to do.

"It's gaining on us!" one of the two Scouts in the wagon stated.

"I'll jump behind the bastard and distract him," the second Scout said, pulling out his swords. "That should give you the chance to-."

"Don't bother!" Levi, who slowed down to aide them, interrupted. "We've got to jettison the extra cargo. Dump the bodies."

The first Scout stared at him, flabbergasted by his order. "But…but sir-."

"Do you know how many corpses are already left behind?" the captain questioned. "These aren't special. Dump them. Consider it their last service to the cause." His brutal honesty hid the grief of doing this. Levi never wanted this to happen, but it had to be done.

"Are we doing this!?" the second Scout cried out. "We can't be seriously doing this!"

The first Scout looked down before making up his mind. "I'm sorry, but there's no other way!"

With that, he kicked open the door and started tossing the bodies out one by one. The wagons were picking up speed, the gap between them and the Titans increasing. Levi had a feeling one of those corpses was Oluo, but he shook it off. He couldn't get sentimental when it came to survival. Once the last body was jettisoned, the survivors took off full speed, leaving the Titans behind. It was finally over, but nothing would ever be the same after this. The 57th Expedition was one of the greatest failures of the Scout Regiment, and humanity would never forget it.

* * *

 _He was sitting in the middle of a dark area with very dim light shining down upon him. He had been here for a while, but for how long he had no idea. At this point, however, he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore._

 _"You know you're gonna have to come out eventually," a voice nearby said. It was an exact copy of him minus the injuries._

 _"I can't," he whispered. "If I do…she'll find me."_

 _"You severed the mind link, remember?" the apparition reminded him. "She can't find you."_

 _"She_ will _find me!" Dillon protested, glaring at him. "There's nothing that can stop her!"_

 _The blacksmith winced as flashes of the Female Titan's rampage went through his mind. That smile, the deaths, she was coming for him-!_

 _"Leave me alone!" Dillon cried out, opening his eyes. She wasn't there._

 _"The longer you stay here, the longer you'll be tormented by these visions," the apparition warned. "You need to have faith that if you let yourself return, you'll be safe."_

 _"…She's out there," he said quietly. "She…"_

 _He sighed, sitting next to him. "You know…it's harder to hit a moving target. If you remain this way, you'll be completely vulnerable. You know what you need to do."_

 _"Dillon…" another voice whispered in the distance._

 _His eyes widened, looking for a place to run. "She's here!"_

 _"It's not her!" the apparition assured. "It's the scientist."_

 _"Dillon…"_

 _"Let her in."_

 _Dillon closed his eyes, trying to get those horrifying images out of his head, and opened them._

* * *

Dillon groaned as his blurry vision started to focus. Once he could collect himself, he realized that he was in a room with Hanji sitting across from him, giving him a concerned look.

"Can you hear me?" she asked.

"Where am I?" he wondered weakly.

"You're in Scout Headquarters," Hanji answered. "We found you in a village near the forest. Your eyes were dead, your breathing was minimal, and you remained motionless for the next few hours."

"…Damn," was the only reply he could muster.

"However," she went on, "there was one moment where you said something. When Armin Arlert and Jean Kirstein tried to snap you out of your motionless state, you said, and I quote, 'I know who she is."' She looked at him dead in the eyes. "Dillon…I know what happened in that village was probably the worst experience you've ever gone through, and I wish that we didn't have to do this…but we need to know exactly what happened there."

He looked away, this being the last conversation he wanted to have. "I can't."

"Dillon…"

"I told you I can't!" Dillon exclaimed, glaring at her. "Just leave me alone!"

Hanji noticed it in his eyes: the fear. He was terrified. There were brief moments that he was looking around, expecting her to come busting through to get him. She gave him a sympathetic sigh and approached him slowly. She pulled her chair with her, and sat in front of him. "Dillon…please look at me."

Slowly, Dillon attempted eye contact. He was visibly shaking.

Talking to people that suffered severe trauma like this was never easy since every person reacted differently. She needed to tread lightly to get the answers. "Dillon…she's not here. This is a safe place for you. You can tell me."

"It hurts," he whispered.

"I know it does," she said, "but I want to help you. We all do. Please…let me in. I promise that she can't get to you here."

He let out a shaky breath and began the hardest story he had ever told. "We…we just got word that…the right wing had been…killed. Darius ordered his fellow Scouts to split off and get ready for the attack, but kept me by his side. I wanted to help, but…he didn't want me to get killed. Then…she showed up."

'"She' being the Female Titan?" Hanji asked.

Dillon nodded quickly. "Yes. She was chasing after us and…they attacked her and…" Tears were springing to his eyes. "…she killed them. And…Jensen…oh, God." He buried his face into his hands as the memories resurfaced.

She really didn't want to ask, but she had to know. "What did she do to him?"

"She…held him by his cable," Dillon continued, his voice breaking. "He begged her to let him go and…she…smiled." He could still see that smile. That horrible, sadistic smile she gave to him. "And then…" He closed his eyes, hearing Jensen being spun around and his bones snapping in the process. "She started spinning him around and she was enjoying it!" Dillon cried out, the tears falling down his face. He was breathing heavily, almost to the point of hyperventilating.

Hanji's eyes widened in horror. She hadn't witnessed the Female Titan killing people, but this went beyond sick.

"I tried to attack her," he went on, trying to regain his composure, but failing, "but she used his body to throw me off my horse before killing Darius. Then…she was coming for me."

 _This is it._ "What did you do?"

"I got…angry, and I prepared to fight her to the death," he answered, "but then…she saw my face…and I started seeing hers." He started shaking again, but it wasn't out of fear. "And…I recognized her."

"Dillon…who is she?"

His lips trembled for a moment and then he blurted out the six words he never wanted to say. "Annie Leonhart is the Female Titan!"

And just like that, Dillon completely lost it. It was far worse than when he was in that village. His sobbing was so filled with anguish that it sounded like he was screaming. She remembered seeing the girl at the trial, and knew that the two had a relationship. This was the deepest level of betrayal one could ever experience, and it grieved Hanji to see Dillon go through it.

"Why!?" he shouted, slamming his fist into the table. "Why did she do it!? Why!?"

"Dillon-!" Hanji tried to get his attention, but he was gone. He wouldn't listen to anyone.

Things got worse when he lunged out of his chair and started punching the wall as hard as he could. "Why didn't she kill me!? Why didn't she kill me!?"

Hanji stayed silent as she watched Dillon sink off his chair to the ground, asking "Why?" repeatedly. He curled into a fetal position, eyes slammed shut. He was unable to cope, unable to be free of his pain, unable to move on. Understandably, he just continued to cry.

Quietly, the scientist walked out, motioning for the two Scouts waiting outside the door to watch him. Once they were inside, Hanji approached Levi, who had been listening to the whole thing.

"It all makes sense now," the captain said in a monotone. "She hurt the man she loved, and she tried to make up for it." He snorted. "Lot of good that did."

She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "What do we do with him?"

"I'm putting him under temporary suicide watch," he answered. "When things settle down…I'm suspending him from the Scouts. He's no good to me in this condition." He wasn't disappointed in him; he was disappointed in the circumstances Dillon was shoved into.

Hanji stared at the closed door. "I hate to say it, but Annie knows that by keeping Dillon alive, her cover's blown. By now, she's probably long gone."

"I doubt it," Levi stated, sipping his tea. "She ran in the direction of the Walls. She's worn out, but she wants to keep up appearances."

"Why come back here if it's too dangerous for her?" Hanji wondered.

"Hell if I know," he muttered. "She had Eren right where she wanted and she let him go. I have a feeling that if she's still here, she won't be for much longer."

"…Do you think it's possible that Annie would be open to-?"

"If she wanted Amsdale in her life, she would've taken him and run," Levi interrupted, knowing where she was going with that line of thought. "Besides, the kid's too broken to try and reason with her. All he'll accomplish is reminding Leonhart of the pain she caused, and she'll run faster."

Hanji massaged her forehead, trying to think of something. "We don't have the resources to go after her right now. Eren's too weak from the fight, and we lost forty percent of our forces. Not to mention the Military Police is going to take custody of him soon."

After the disastrous Expedition, Erwin was immediately summoned to the capital. Zackley, albeit reluctantly, revoked their custody of Eren Yeager. In a few days, he would be on his way to the Interior where the Military Police would be waiting for him. One could imagine what they would do to him.

"…Then we stall for time," Levi said, putting the cup down.

* * *

(The next day)

With a tired yawn, Annie made her way back to her room. She spent the better portion of the night and the morning drafting up two letters. One was addressed to Dillon, telling him everything regarding who she was, where she came from, the secrets of the Titans, and everything else she knew. By the time humanity was hunting her down, she would be in hiding, somewhere they couldn't find her. Once they searched her quarters, they would find the letter and know the truth.

The second letter she sent out by a different carrier pigeon this morning. It was addressed to her comrades, asking them for an extra week to try and capture Eren before they moved on to the next phase of their plan. If her request was granted, it would buy humanity enough time to prepare for their attack. It was the least she could do after everything she did.

She sighed sadly, her mind never ceasing to return to the Expedition, to Dillon. Once she returned to the Walls, she felt the link between them sever. The last emotion she felt from him was fear. Fear…of her.

 _I hurt you so much, Dillon._ Annie thought for the umpteenth time. _I'm sorry._

Finally, she entered her bedroom and was surprised to see a letter waiting for her on the bed. Curiosity overtook her as she took it, examining it. Her first thought was that it came from Dillon, but the handwriting on the envelope indicated someone else wrote it. Carefully, Annie opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. As she began to read it, her eyes widened in horror and she started shaking her head in denial. "No. No!"

* * *

" _Right now, the only reason she's leaving is because she believes that her identity has been compromised. Unfortunately for us…Amsdale will never have had a chance to tell us."_

* * *

 _Officer Annie Leonhart,_

 _I, Erwin Smith, Commander of the Scouting Regiment regret to inform you that during the 57_ _th_ _Expedition into Wall Maria, Dillon Amsdale perished. We tried to bring his body back for a proper burial, but we were pursued by Titans. We were forced to leave his body behind to give the survivors a chance to escape._

 _You have my deepest condolences and my apologies for bringing you such terrible news._

* * *

 _The scientist slowly faced him. "Levi…that is a very dangerous gamble to make."_

 _"If we let her run, we might as well spit in the faces of all the Scouts that died today," Levi growled. "They deserve better than that."_

* * *

For the first time in her entire life, Annie felt her entire world crash around her. It couldn't be true. Dillon had his powers. He could prevent the Titans from eating him with his powers…unless he was in a position where he _couldn't_ use his powers.

 _Oh, God!_ She thought as she felt tears come into her eyes. _What have I done!?_

The dam burst and Annie started to weep, the letter falling from her hand. She loved Dillon more than anyone else in the world, and not only did he betray him in the worst possible way, but now, he would never be coming home.

"I'm sorry, Dillon!" she cried out, burying her face in her hands. "Please, forgive me!"

Her anguished cries drew the attention of her fellow officers, but she yelled at them to get away from her, which they wisely did. She wanted to be alone, to suffer in solitude. The world didn't take away Dillon Amsdale; _she_ did, and she could never make it right. She really was a monster.

* * *

 _"…The moment Annie finds out we played her this way, she'll make it her mission in life to kill us," Hanji warned._

 _"Then she won't find out," Levi said simply. "As of right now and as long as she lives, Dillon Amsdale is dead."_

* * *

 **AN: To be continued…**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Breaking Point

(One day later)

Annie stood completely still as the convoy passed by, keeping a stoic face. This was the last place she wanted to be right now, but this was part of the job. She had a feeling that inside one of the heavily guarded wagons was Eren being taken to the capital (news about the Scouts spectacular failure spread like wildfire), and she felt sorry for him. All he wanted to do was help humanity, but now, he was going to be executed by them. The irony was not lost on her.

She resisted the urge to sigh. Ever since she received the damn letter that Dillon was dead, the MPs had been more sympathetic to her as of late. Even Hitch backed off, offering to help her in any way she could. Annie declined, and even told the others to lay off the condolences. They weren't helping her in the slightest.

Once the last wagon passed by, Annie began following the rest of the MPs back to their headquarters, going past an alley in the process.

"Annie," a familiar voice whispered.

She stopped dead in her tracks and waited for everyone else to pass by before heading into the alley. Standing there wearing a big, green raincoat was Armin himself.

"Hello," he greeted, sounding a little melancholy.

"Armin," she replied, looking more than a little surprised to see him.

"I'm sorry about Dillon," he said, looking down a bit.

Annie sighed, feeling that pang in her heart yet again. "Did they…did they find the Titan responsible?"

Armin looked a little uncomfortable. "Uh…"

"Armin…a Titan _did_ kill him, right?" _Oh, God, please don't tell me..._

"I…I shouldn't say," he responded.

"Armin, please," Annie begged. "I need to know what happened."

He hesitated for the longest time, but he conceded. "We found Dillon in a village surrounded by the bodies of his squad, and…there was a sword in his chest."

Her eyes widened in horror. "What!?"

"I don't understand it either," he stated, sounding like he was in turmoil. "Why would he do that?"

 _He killed himself…because of me!_ Annie did everything she could to keep herself from breaking down and answered. "…Whatever happened there…he couldn't cope." She looked away, but he could see the brokenness in her eyes. "…Thank you for telling me the truth, Armin."

To her surprise, Armin wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Annie."

She hugged him back, a couple of tears falling from her face. "I miss him so much."

It was killing Armin to see Annie in such a state. This plan made him stoop to levels that some would deem unforgivable, but…he had no choice. Not when humanity's future was at stake. "I miss him, too."

Annie pulled back, wiping her face dry. "I should head back. We can talk later."

"Annie, wait!" Armin interjected before she turned to leave. "I…I need your help."

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"…Eren's being transferred over to the custody of the Military Police," he explained. "At least, that's what they think is happening. Right now, he's in hiding, and we need to get out of the Walls for a while. Unfortunately, that means we need to get past the checkpoints, and…I don't want to put you in such a position, not after everything that's happened, but-."

"I'll do it."

Armin's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what?"

She put her rifle down, leaning it against the wall. "It's the least I can do. Eren's my friend, too."

He smiled a little. "Thank you, Annie."

"Thank me when we get out of here," she replied, pulling out a gray ring and putting it on.

"What's with the ring?" he wondered.

"It's sort of my good luck charm," Annie admitted. "I have a feeling we're gonna be needing a lot of it today."

"Didn't know you, of all people, would need something like that."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Armin," she said.

 _Isn't that the truth?_ Armin thought ruefully.

* * *

(Scout Headquarters)

Like the past couple of days, Dillon had been sitting in the chair in his room, though he looked more depressed this time. Today was the day the Scouts would finally capture Annie. According to Levi, once that was accomplished, they would never see each other again, continuing the illusion that he was dead. Fortunately, the captain left behind the rest of Squad Levi to keep that from becoming a reality. It was kind of creepy how they kept a constant eye on him and how the room was stripped of anything that could be used to kill himself with. He didn't even have shoelaces. Still, it had to be done.

"What have you told my parents?" he had asked Levi.

"For now, they believe you died in the Expedition just like everyone else," the captain had answered. "In order for the ruse to work, only the Scout Regiment will know the truth. It's possible you may have to stay in hiding for the rest of your life should we succeed."

Dillon couldn't help but clench his fists. "So, I'm never gonna see them again?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Amsdale," Levi had warned, though he was calmer given the emotional turmoil he was going through. "They will know the truth eventually, but _only_ them. We can't let the truth reach Leonhart. Otherwise, there'll be hell to pay."

He didn't ask Levi if they were going to kill Annie, or worse. He couldn't think about that. Not anymore. Not after…

"Dillon, you have to eat something," Petra said quietly, finally breaking the silence and bringing him back to the present.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled.

"You haven't eaten for two days," Eld pointed out.

"Why do you guys care?" he asked. "You know what my relationship was with Annie."

Gunther sighed. "Kid, if you think that any of us blame you, don't."

"She made her choice. She hurt you just as much as anyone," Petra added.

Dillon shook his head. "...You know...I really thought she was the one. "I thought that we would be happy together." He looked away for a moment. "I should have seen this coming."

Gunther raised an eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"When I confessed to Annie that I had feelings for her, she told me that she had a dark secret and that if I knew, I would despise her for it." He snorted. "Out of all the things that came to mind, a Female Titan with sadistic tendencies wasn't one of them."

"Least she was honest," Eld muttered, drinking his water.

She didn't know if it would help, but Petra felt obligated to bring it up. "Dillon, the fact that she warned you proves that despite what she did, she still cares about you. Why else would she let you live?"

"...She left me in a village to admire her handiwork," he growled quietly. "Killing me would've been generous."

Eld sighed, putting down his drink. "Look, Amsdale, we heard what she did to those men. No one is denying how…evil that was, and you having an adverse reaction to it, especially after finding out who she was, is to be expected. Trust me when we say we all feel for you. That being said, you seem to be leaving out the other half of the story."

"And what did I leave out?" Dillon asked.

"The part where after your little encounter, we only suffered one loss: Oluo," he replied. "She was doing her damndest to keep the Scouts alive when it wouldn't have taken much effort to kill them. Not to mention that she let the kid go even when she had him dead to rights and took off."

There was no response from Dillon as that information hit him hard, his eyes widening in shock. It…it didn't make any sense. Annie was a killer. She reveled in the death of his squad. He saw that sadistic grin in response to Jensen's begging. It was like his world was turning upside down. "She...didn't kill anyone else outside of Oluo?"

Gunther shook his head. "No, she didn't. Could've sliced my neck open, but she only went for the line."

"She had the chance to bite me in half, but she just spat me out into a tree," Eld added.

"And all she did with me was stomp on my line and force me into the ground," Petra said. "I tried to get back up, but a swift kick had me out,"

"If...she only killed one person...then it was probably an accident," he realized.

"Doubt it was an accident," Eld muttered. "His blades were broken, so he must have put up a hell of a fight."

"Didn't anyone tell you?" Gunther asked.

Dillon shook his head, his mind reeling. "No, they didn't. She...she really..."

"Yeah, she did," he confirmed.

"...Why did she spare them?" Dillon asked himself.

"Maybe something you said had an effect?" Petra offered.

"I...I begged her not to complete her mission..." Dillon's voice trailed off as it truly hit him. "She spared them…she ran...because of me!"

His mind went back to the village like it usually did, but instead of the scene that always played out, there she was, stroking his cheek tenderly with a sad smile. This time, he paid attention to the expression in her eyes: regret.

" _ **Being with you was the best thing that ever happened to me, Dillon. I can never thank you enough for the time we had together."**_

The wheels in his mind were turning rabidly. If _she abandoned her mission for me…but now she thinks I'm dead._ His expression of disbelief turned into horror. "Oh, no."

"Dillon, talk to us," Petra pleaded quietly.

"I need to get to Stohess!" Dillon stated, getting up and throwing on his cloak.

Squad Levi immediately sprung to action.

Petra and Gunther stood behind him as Eld stood in front of the door, crossing his arms.

"You're not going anywhere," he stated.

"Eld, you have to let me go!" Dillon pleaded. "I'm the only one that can stop her!"

"We already have a plan, Dillon," Petra assured, placing her hands on his shoulders. "They aren't going to kill her."

"The plan is going to fail, Petra," he said, moving away from her and towards the back of the room. "Now that she thinks I'm dead, nothing is going to hold her back."

"You're right about one thing, kid: she thinks you're dead," Gunther pointed out. "You go out there, and she'll smear you across the buildings."

Dillon clenched his fist, but he let out a deep breath. "I know. I know she can kill me easily. I've seen it up close and personal."

"Then why put yourself in a position where she can kill you?" he pressed.

"...Because I love her," Dillon answered quietly. "And I know that it's not too late to make it right."

"Don't be a fool!" Petra snapped with a stern glare. "It's not that she _can_ kill you. Once she finds out about how you lied to her, she's going to _want_ to!"

"I'm not stupid, Petra!" he shot back angrily. "I know damn well that she's going to be pissed to the point where killing me will seem like a good idea, but it's a risk I have to take. You three were willing to die to keep Eren safe. I'm willing to die to keep humanity safe and save Annie from herself. If I don't go out there and give everything I have to protect the woman I love, I'll regret it for the rest of my life." He had another reason, but he was cut off before he could say it.

"Then live with it," Petra said coldly. "There is more at stake here than your girlfriend."

"Start facing reality, Amsdale," Eld growled. "You're not leaving."

Dillon sighed before looking at them. He was wasting time. "I'm not a traitor. Remember that."

With a flash of his eyes, the door swung open, sending Eld toppling forward. Pushing the blonde man out of the way and kicking Petra away, Dillon quickly engaged Gunther, delivering two quick blows to his stomach before spinning around and elbowing his head, knocking him back. Petra moved quickly, dropping low and tackling him, slamming him into the wall. Bringing her head up under his, she smacked him in the chin and pinned him to the wall by his neck with her forearm. His eyes glowed again, making her clutch her head in pain. He pushed her back and did a spin kick against that hit the left side of her head, sending her crashing to the floor. He rolled under Gunther's attempted punch, but he was kicked in the gut, driving him close to Eld. Eld grabbed him and slammed him to the ground, pinning him down under his heavier weight.

"You're not leaving, Dillon," he repeated, sounding annoyed.

"Hundreds of people are going to die, including Annie, if I don't go out there," he growled, trying to think of a way out of this.

Gunther was losing patience. "Annie won't die, you idiot! They want her alive!"

"...She won't let them," he stated, struggling as hard he could. "Please, Eld. Let me go!"

"No," Eld replied coldly. "We have orders. As do you. And I'm _not_ letting you endanger lives!"

Dillon let out a snarl as anger rose inside of him again. Their plan to capture Annie was endangering every single person in Stohess. The moment she transformed, the casualty rate would rise. And to think he went along with it. He wasn't going to let this happen.

With a yell, a huge wave of psychic energy released from him, sending Eld off of him and Gunther and Petra crashing against the walls. Furniture scattered across the room with the wooden chairs breaking upon impact. All in all, the room was wrecked. Dillon quickly got up, and landed a hard jab on Eld's nose, nearly breaking it. He snaked underneath a punch, jumped, and kicked Eld in the head, making him fall to the floor.

"I endangered lives by agreeing with the plan," Dillon informed them coldly as he ran out the door and traveled down the corridor.

With a groan, Gunther was the first to recover as he looked around the dismantled room, flabbergasted. "What the hell did he do!?"

"I don't know," Petra moaned, holding her head in pain.

Gunther moved to go after Dillon, but he fell, his leg twisted by the impact as well as a sharp pain in his gut. "Son of a bitch."

"I think my ribs are broken," she groaned quietly, curling up.

"Mine, too. Eld, what about you?" he asked.

The only response was a low groan. He was barely conscious.

Gunther slumped to the floor, panting heavily. "That damn idiot's gonna get himself killed."

"By who? Annie, us, or the captain?" Petra asked with a growl.

"Preferably, us," he answered as he heard the distinct noise of a horse galloping away and people shouting.

"Wouldn't mind that...get a medic," she requested just before she fainted.

"...Medic..." Gunther moaned as he passed out too.

* * *

(Stohess)

Later, Annie and Armin met up with Mikasa and Eren, both of whom were disguised in their raingear. Naturally, the two gave condolences for Dillon's passing, but fortunately for her, they left it at that. Quietly, the four traveled down the back roads to avoid the soldiers, and so far, it was working.

"We made it," Eren commented quietly. "Can't believe it was so easy."

"Hush," Mikasa said.

Eren brought up a very good point. It was _too_ easy. In fact, there hadn't been a single person on this road in the time they spent going down it. Something was very off.

"The Military Police hard at work," Eren sneered. "I'm almost surprised they bothered to show up at all."

"Let's just keep moving," Mikasa urged.

"Hopefully they haven't noticed my stand-in yet," he continued, ignoring her. "He's not gonna hold up under close scrutiny. After all, Jean and I look nothing alike."

 _Eren, can you find something_ not _to_ _bitch about?_ Annie wanted to ask.

"It's close enough," Armin assured, sounding a little annoyed. "You both have that same angry scowl and the same boulder-sized chip on your shoulder."

"Yeah, but I don't have his horse-face," he protested.

"Hey," Annie interrupted, getting a headache from their bickering, "so if I had refused to help you guys out, then what was your Plan B for getting over the wall?"

"We would've used our 3DM gear to barge right through the checkpoint," Armin answered.

"That's stupid," she commented. "Why didn't you just avoid all this trouble in the first place? You could've escaped before reaching Stohess, right? I mean, why wait until now?"

"I felt that this town's complex layout would allow us to squeeze a bit more time out of our body double ploy," he explained. "Of course, a head-on assault is ill-advised, so as long as the convoy acts like its following orders, then everyone keeps their defenses down."

Interesting assumption, but there was one gaping flaw: Armin was praised for his tactical prowess. If they wanted to get Eren out cleanly and effectively, he wouldn't have needed Annie to tell him the obvious solution. In fact, it seemed like his plan _needed_ to have her be involved.

Suddenly, it all started to make sense. Armin begging her for help when he really shouldn't have needed it, the deserted streets, the sorry excuse for a Plan B, it all added up to one thing: she was being led into a trap. They knew!

"I see," Annie said coolly. "It's a very good plan."

Eren and Mikasa quickly glanced at each other, wondering if she was starting to catch on.

Armin gasped. "There it is."

The three followed Armin to a staircase that led underground, a place that a certain Titan Shifter wouldn't be able to transform in if she needed to.

"Here?" Annie asked.

"Yeah," he confirmed, walking down the stairs with the others following. "We'll pass through here. It's what remains of an underground city they were planning to build way back when. And, if I'm right, it should lead us to the vicinity of the outer gate."

"Nice work, Armin," Eren complemented. "It's amazing."

The three stopped suddenly when they realized Annie was still at the top of the stairs.

"Annie, what's the matter?" Eren asked, confused. "You're not afraid of dark, crampspaces or anything, are you?"

"So what?" Annie replied as if insulted. "So what if I am? I wouldn't expect a suicidal maniac like you to understand. You don't know what it is to be an ordinary girl crippled with fear."

Armin cringed. She knew what they were up to.

Eren, however, was persistent. "A girl who can flip a full-grown man upside down has nothing to fear of the dark. Cut the crap! Let's move!"

"No, I refuse," she stated firmly. "Above ground, I'll help. Otherwise, the deal is off."

There was a long pause between all of them, the tension rising. They all knew each other's secrets now.

"Quit being stubborn, damn it!" Eren yelled, losing his patience. "Just get the hell down here! Move! We're running out of time, and-!"

"Stop shouting!" Mikasa interrupted. "Someone will hear you."

"I'm sure it's fine, Mikasa," Annie said. "It seems that for whatever reason, this place…has been completely deserted!" She gave Armin a look of disappointment. "That hurts me. It really does. The way you're looking at me now…if I didn't know better you didn't trust me, eh, Armin?"

Armin was clutching a gun in his hand at this point, but he kept it hidden from view. He was shaking out of panic, though. It was time to voice his suspicions the day when the Scouts inspected their gear when the two Titans were killed. "Annie, tell me, what were you doing with Marco's 3DM gear?" When she didn't answer, he went on. "It had all the same dents and scrapes. See, I helped him with maintenance, so…I know you used it."

"Yes," Annie responded. "I found it. Found it and took it."

The blond-haired boy gulped. "Then, the two Titans we had in custody. It was you that killed them!"

"No one knows." Her monotone voice was becoming very unnerving. "But if you suspected this since last month, why did you wait this long to say anything? You could've warned Dillon if you wanted to."

"Because even now, it's difficult!" Armin answered, his voice losing all confidence. "I just didn't want to believe I was right. So…I stayed quiet. But then, out in the field, the fact that you didn't kill me then and there, that's the moment that set us on the path to our current situation. Then, we found Dillon, impaled on his own sword, while everyone else was crushed. He found out what you are and couldn't take the revelation! That's why you were so broken when I told you what really happened because it _was_ your fault!"

A deadly silence passed between them as the wind outside picked up speed.

"Dillon made the choice to end his life," Annie stated simply. "I was simply the catalyst for his decision, but we're here because I let you live. Of course, I never dreamed you'd end up cornering me like this." Now she was talking to herself. "Why? Why didn't I do anything then?"

Having enough, Eren started to beg. "Annie, please! You've taken this joke far enough! Just tell us this was all some kind of horrible prank! It's not too late! Come on! We'll understand! Come down and let's talk! You can prove to us that we're mistaken by walking down these stairs! Prove we're wrong to accuse you!"

Annie lowered her head sadly. "We both know I can't. Like I told you, I don't have the constitution for it."

He continued trying to appeal to her humanity. "Annie, stop! We're talking about a matter of life and death!"

"Work with us, Annie!" Armin pleaded. "We can reason this out like human beings!"

"Enough!" Mikasa exclaimed, unsheathing her swords. "I'm not listening to another word of this! No point!"

"Wait!" Armin yelled, taking the Oriental girl by surprise. "Think about Dillon, Annie! Would he want you to go down this road? You have the capacity to do the right thing!" Now Armin really wished Dillon was with them right now. He could've salvaged this.

For a moment, something changed in her eyes, something that told Armin she was actually thinking about it.

Eren put his two cents in. "Out in the forest, you spared several Survey Corps members when you could've killed them instantly. You let me go, Annie! Why did you let me go?"

Annie was now conflicted, remembering her contradictory actions that day.

Armin pressed on, hopeful that things could resolve peacefully after. "You knew what you were doing was wrong. Please, Annie! For Dillon's sake, you were willing to help us! For Dillon's sake, don't do this!"

The trio eyed Annie carefully, waiting for her to make the next move. They all hoped she would see reason and give up. She was even looking down, the guilt weighing heavily on heart it seemed. Armin cautiously took a step forward and then…she started to laugh. It started out small, like as if she heard a funny joke. Then, it escalated into a full-blown cackle, sending shivers down their spines. Even Mikasa was disturbed by the complete shift in personality. Right then and there, Armin knew that they lost the opportunity to solve this diplomatically.

 _We were so close._ He thought grimly.

Once Annie was done, she stared down at them as if they were beneath her. "You claim that Dillon wouldn't want me to go down this path…and you'd be right. That's probably why I spared Armin…and Jean." Her gaze landed on Eren. "And I let you go because I saw him…but I won't make that mistake again. He's dead and that's all there is to it. I'm glad you know, Armin." She sounded so sincere at this moment. "I can finally stop hiding it. So much different than the dread and utter guilt I felt when _he_ found out. At least I could be a good person for you, Armin. For now, at least. It looks like you won your bet." She then grew a disturbing, psychotic grin. "But...I'm going to gamble, too, and here's my wager!"

She raised her hand to her mouth, ready to bite down.

Realizing that she was a lost cause, Armin fired the acoustic round into the ceiling.

On cue, several soldiers in civilian garb charged out of the buildings and headed towards Annie. The shot Armin fired disorientated her long for her to be grabbed and gagged so she couldn't transform. She struggled as hard as she could, but there were too many of them. Quickly, she unsheathed a hidden blade from her ring, shocking Mikasa. Realizing what was about to happen, the Oriental grabbed both boys and ran down the stairs.

"What are you-!?" Armin protested.

"It's too late!" Mikasa pointed out, descending deeper into the underground.

With one final glare sent to them that made it clear she was coming after them, Annie sliced her finger with the blade.

* * *

From outside Wall Sina, people could see the lightning descend from the sky. They felt the ground shake violently, almost as if there was an explosion.

"What the hell was that!?" a bystander exclaimed.

"Perhaps it's a gift from the heavens!" a Wall Worshipper suggested with wide eyes. "A gift to the righteous and those who believed!"

"Out of my way!" a voice yelled behind him.

The cultist quickly moved just as Dillon passed by, his stolen horse going at full speed. Releasing that psychic blast earlier did a number on him, but his determination and adrenaline rush kept him going. He knew that flash anywhere, the sign of a transforming Titan. He had a feeling that the Titan in question was Annie, and that thought alone made his anxiety increase once again. That meant he wouldn't just deal with a pissed-off girlfriend; he would be dealing with a pissed-off Female Titan.

 _Cross that bridge when you get there._ He told himself.

As he made his way for Wall Sina, he didn't know what he was riding to: a new beginning or a gruesome death.

* * *

 **AN: To be continued…**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Titans Unleashed

As Eren dashed down the stairs, he stopped for a moment, watching a transformation take place for the first time. As the bodies of all the people that tried to restrain Annie scattered, bones and flesh began to form where she was standing, growing at an accelerating rate. He saw her dive into the nape of the Female Titan as it stood to its full height. Something in his gut told him that this time, she would not hesitate, she would not show restraint, and she would never stop until she captured him.

"Oh, God," Eren whispered.

His eyes widened as the Female Titan's hand plunged into the broken corridor, missing Eren by inches. Mikasa quickly grabbed him and pulled him away as Armin quickly followed. Annie tried to reach in further, but her arm wasn't long enough. Realizing that her quarry had vanished, her arm snaked out of the corridor.

"Damn it!" Armin swore as they continued making a run for it. "That ring! She must've known I was lying to her from the very beginning. She knew we were leading her into a trap. I could've…I should've tried a different approach. We could've used Dillon to stop her!"

"Save the should haves until we get out of this," Mikasa ordered. "The question is what do we do next?"

Gritting his teeth, Armin nodded. "Okay. First, we rendezvous with Squad 3. Then, we get the hell above ground. We…we fight her out in the open." He looked at his best friend. "That means we're switching to Plan B. She's all your, Eren. Got it?"

"Yeah," he answered, still reeling from what just happened.

"Over here!" someone up ahead exclaimed, waving his hand. It was Squad Three as the other members came into view. "What happened? Was Plan A a no-go?"

 _Oh, it went just wonderful!_ Armin thought sarcastically before addressing them. "Afraid so, yes. As of now, we're going with the backup option."

The trio slid to a halt, take a moment to catch their breath.

Suddenly, a giant foot crashed through the ceiling, stomping on the entire squad. The force of the blow was so strong, it caused a dust storm that briefly covered the trio. Coughing, Armin opened his eyes to see the Female Titan's foot slowly rise back up, leaving behind crushed bodies.

"She caved in the ceiling," he said, horrified.

"We've got to pull them out of there!" Eren stated, taking a stop for them before Mikasa grabbed his hood and pulled him back.

"Eren, get back," she told him, dragging him away.

"What!? No! Wait!" The Shifter tried to break free, but Mikasa wouldn't let him. Even if they were still alive underneath the rubble, it didn't matter. Top priority was keeping Eren out of her hands.

"What was that?" Mikasa demanded, trying not to start raging…yet. "Does she not care if she kills you, too?"

"She took a chance," Armin answered gravely. "It was risky, but she gambled on Eren being able to survive. We're dealing with someone who's been backed into a corner." He began running with the two trailing behind him. "She's desperate, which makes her all the more dangerous!"

They backtracked as quickly as they could, but they soon realized that what was left led straight back to Annie. Knowing her, she would keep stomping her way into the Underground if it meant getting what she wanted, what she needed.

"Damn it, we're cut off," Armin said, panting heavily. "If we try to get airborne with our ODM gear, she'll swat us like flies. If we-." He was cut off by another crashing sound and saw that she was getting closer to them. His voice started trembling. "If we stay here, it's only a matter of time before we're crushed."

Determined, Eren stood up. "I know what I have to do. I'll change. I'll shield you guys like that time with the cannon fire! Get in close!"

"But-!" Armin protested before he pulled them close to him.

"All right, brace yourselves!"

Taking several breaths at a rate that people would think he was hyperventilating, he bit his hand as hard as he could, digging into his flesh and bone. Judging by his muffled screaming, it hurt like hell, but the worst part was that nothing was happening outside of receiving a self-inflicted wound.

"Oh, no!" Eren exclaimed, his eyes widening in horror. "Not again! Why now!?" He collapsed to the ground in pain. "We don't have time for this! Just work, damn it!"

"Don't try to force it," Armin advised over Eren's angry growling. "You have to have a clear goal in mind like Hanji said. Come on, you can do this. We know you can!"

"Believe me, I'm trying!" he raged, sinking his teeth into his hand once more and succeeding in doing nothing but causing himself pain.

Mikasa knelt down to his level, but instead of offering him words of encouragement, she was pissed. "Really? Are you sure you're not having second thoughts? Doubts about Annie?"

He didn't respond as if confirming what she accused him of.

"Eren…" Armin said softly, wondering what was going through his mind at the moment.

"It's her," she stated coldly. "The Female Titan. No matter how much you don't want to believe it, that-!"

"I know that she's the Female Titan, damn it!" Eren yelled, catching Mikasa off-guard. "Get off my back! I know what she is!"

"Then what is it!?" Mikasa demanded. "What the hell is holding you back from doing your duty as a soldier, from fulfilling the oath you swore!?"

Eren looked away, his voice dropping to a whisper. "She…she let me go."

Armin sighed in response before nodding. "She did."

"She spared the rear contingent," he continued, his voice shaking. "She spared Levi Squad. Oluo's death was an accident. She's…she's not evil!" He shut his eyes tightly. "Why couldn't we find the right words to say!? I know she can be reasoned with! I know we don't have to-!"

Mikasa grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to her face, and she was furious. "Annie. Doesn't. Care. Anymore! Whatever actions she took back in that forest does not apply here. Did you not see what she just did? She stomped out those soldiers like they were nothing to her, and she'll keep killing people until she gets what she wants: you! She's a murderer, and a traitor! Get your head out of your protective shell and fight, damn it!" She glared right into his eyes. "Unless there's something deeper going on!"

"Mikasa, stop!" Armin demanded, pulling her back. She was becoming too emotional about this if her accusations were anything to go by and she looked like she was gonna start throttling Eren. "This isn't getting us anywhere." Quickly, he drew his swords. "I know what we have to do. Mikasa will head for that opening, and at the same time, I'll make a run for the exit! I'm sure Annie will go for one of us." Armin put his hood on. "When she does, run in the opposite direction for all you're worth!"

"Are you out of your mind!?" Eren exclaimed. "What the hell kind of good is it gonna do if one of you gets killed!?"

"If we stay here, all three of us will!" he shot back. "Mikasa, you ready?"

Putting her cloak back on, she nodded. "Yeah, good luck!"

Eren was stunned as both his friends ran in opposite directions, and possibly to their deaths. "Mikasa! Armin! Don't do this! I'm not worth it! You hear me!? You don't have to go!"

Finally, Mikasa stopped, turning around briefly. "What choice do we have?" She closed her eyes, remembering the one thing that she was taught all her life. "The world is a cruel place!" Throwing her hood up, Mikasa left the corridor, leaving him completely alone.

Eren bowed his head, quietly sobbing at how horrible things were going. His friends were going to die to try and save him, humanity was vulnerable to whatever the Female Titan had planned, and Annie…

 _Please…stop._ He begged inwardly.

It was the last thought he had as the ceiling caved in above him.

* * *

As Armin exited the Underground, his pupils shrank at the scene before him. Annie stomped into and through another house, but her foot was exactly where Eren was. She just buried him alive.

"Oh, no. Eren!" he exclaimed in horror as he took to the skies.

The Female Titan paid him no heed as her eyes landed on Mikasa, who was coming at her full speed and swords drawn. Growling, she charged her, ready to bring her down. Once she got close enough, she trapped the Oriental in her hand, but Mikasa sliced her way through, dodging the falling fingers as she fell.

"I won't let you take him!" she swore.

While Annie was preoccupied, Armin dived into the ruined house, searching for his friend. He found him lying face down with large pieces of rubble pinning him to the ground.

"Don't worry, Eren," he assured as he started lifting the large debris off of him. "Just stay with me!"

As Mikasa continued her deadly dance with Annie, she dodged an attempted swipe while leaving a tremendous gash on her arm. The swipe took out the rooftops of nearby houses including the hook Mikasa had embedded in one of them. Frantically, she tried to get out of there, but a large rock hit her square on the head, knocking her out as she plummeted to the ground.

Satisfied that the little irritant wasn't in her way anymore, Annie continued making her way towards Eren's position only for a squad of Scouts to start their attack.

"Detain her at all costs!" the leader of the squad commanded. "Whatever it takes!"

Once her hand finished regenerating, the Female Titan glared at them. No one was getting in her way this time, especially not _him!_ They made their choice, and they would die for it.

* * *

Further into Stohess, Nile Dok continued to walk with the wagons carrying Eren Yeager along with Erwin and Levi. Contrary to what they thought, he didn't like this any more than they did. For a while, he actually hoped the kid would be the key they so desperately needed to win this war against the Titans. However, the latest Expedition proved that the enemy was too strong, and Eren's powers were too unpredictable. Just because Nile was doing what had to be done didn't mean he felt good about it.

His silent musings were interrupted by the smell of smoke. He glanced up to see a large plume of it in the distance. "What the hell's going on?" he asked himself before giving an order to the nearby MPs. "Escort Squad, have a look! I'll hold this position!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" a black-haired teen, Marlowe, replied before grappling away with Hitch and another MP right behind him.

"This is bad," Nile said as he began planning his next move. "What the hell could be going on this far in?"

"Nile!" Erwin called out, stepping out of the wagon with Levi. "Deploy all troops immediately! We should assume that a Titan has already appeared."

The commander of the Military Police was flabbergasted by his statement and his surprising calmness. "Are you out of your mind!? This is Wall Sina! There's no way that a Titan would suddenly show up here!"

The situation started escalating when Eren quickly got out of the wagon he was held in.

"Who told you to move, Yeager!?" the MP guarding him demanded, attempting to restrain him.

"How about this damn wig you should've noticed, moron!?" "Eren" shot back, pulling off his black hair that revealed light-brown hair.

The MP staggered back in shock, realizing that he had been played.

"Call me Yeager again, and it's your ass! Got that!?" Jean threatened as he grabbed his cloak and ran to Erwin's position. "Commander, what's the plan?"

"Ask Squad 4 for equipment," he answered.

"Sir!" Jean quickly threw on his cloak and got to work.

"I like the brass balls, but try not to swing them so hard you get yourself killed," Levi advised.

"Commander!" another Scout called out, landing in front of him with a case containing the ODM gear.

Nile was too stunned to speak as the Scouts, Jean, and Erwin began putting on the gear quickly. He had been fooled, but for what purpose. This wasn't just an attempt to keep Eren out of the MP's hands. This was something else entirely.

Then, his suspicions began to rise as he remembered the mission report from the Scout Regiment, how a Female Titan displaying the same intelligence as the kid tore through their ranks with the intent of capturing him. The only explanation was that she was human like he was, and if that was the case…

 _She's here._ Nile realized. _The Female Titan is in Stohess right now!_

Now, his anger began to bubble as he put it together. Erwin lured her out into the open, out in a city containing thousands upon thousands of civilians. If she was the cause of the attack in the distance, so many people would be killed…including...

"All right!" Erwin exclaimed as he prepared for departure. "All of you with me! We're rendezvousing with the capture squad."

"No!" Nile yelled, pointing his rifle right at Erwin's chest. "The hell you will!"

The rest of the MPs took aim at Erwin and Levi, preparing to fire.

"This is outright treason!" he snarled. "I am well within my rights to shoot you where you stand!"

"Think, Nile," Levi said in a drawl voice. "I find it hard to believe you're actually as thick-headed as you look. You're a hair-trigger away from making the worst mistake of your life."

"Take off the gear before I shoot you!" Nile ordered.

It was a standoff, and any sudden move could mean the difference between life and death.

* * *

The battle with the Female Titan was going about as expected: horribly. The Scouts were trying to disable her and take her alive, but she was too quick for them. She knocked a Scout into and through a building and crushed another one in the palm of her hand. Mikasa, regaining consciousness, let out a battle cry and sliced her Achilles' Heel, trying to bring her down, but the wound was too shallow. Fortunately, they were at least buying time for Armin to get Eren out of his predicament.

"Just hold on!" Armin pleaded as he finally tossed the large piece of rubble off of him. "I'm almost there, Eren!"

"What the hell is going on!?" Jean demanded as he landed behind him.

"He's stuck in here!" he explained frantically.

Jean's eyes widened. "Why didn't he just change into a Titan?"

"He couldn't transform," Armin admitted. "Annie's actions during the Expedition is holding him back from taking her on."

The brown-haired boy clenched his fist. "You've got to be kidding me."

Shaking his head, Armin continued digging him out. "We'll worry about that when he's safe. Help me out."

Growling, Jean stalked over to Eren. "Enough of this bullshit, Eren! It doesn't matter what Annie did. The reality is that she's not letting anything hold her back." He glared down at his fallen form. "Look at yourself. You're humanity's best chance of living. We're putting our lives on the line out there, and this is all we can expect from out last, best hope!? Is this what…Marco…?" He gritted his teeth so he wouldn't breakdown. "Damn it!"

He would've gone on, but there was a loud crash nearby. The two men looked to see large pieces of rubble coming for them and they moved quickly. The landing sent the two flying and buried Eren deeper into the ground. This time, there was a large, wooden stake impaled in his chest. At this rate, he was going to die.

"Eren…" Armin whispered, trying to contain his panic.

Jean growled, drawing his swords. "We can't do a damn thing until we deal with her!" With that, he charged into the fray.

Armin sighed, knowing what had to be done, but he spoke to Eren one last time. "Listen, I said something to Jean recently: to rise above monsters, we have to abandon our humanity. What we fight, we become. Fire with fire. Look at her. Annie can do it. I don't know why, but there it is. It's simple: you have to match her heartlessness to win!"

There was a way to keep Annie from continuing her path towards Eren. It was going to be the lowest blow he could strike, but it was necessary if he wanted to keep him alive. As Annie smashed another Scout into a building, Armin ran out and called out to her.

"Annie!" he yelled angrily. "Dillon would be so proud of you, wouldn't he?"

The Female Titan's eyes widened at those words before growling at him dangerously.

"You should be thankful he's dead so he'll never see what you've become!"

Annie clenched her fists as she let out an animalistic snarl. _Why you little…!_

Suddenly, there was a loud yell behind her and she quickly crystalized her hand as she blocked her nape. Jean cursed loudly as his swords shattered, but he took off. "Armin, follow me!"

Quickly, Armin grappled away just as her fist landed where he was. The two were heading deeper into the city as a livid Titan charged after them. As she passed by a building, her eyes widened as she fell into another trap. Once again, several cannons fired at her, impaling her skin with the hooks and barbs. Some of them actually tied her up. She pulled as hard as she could, but instead, she slipped and fell to the ground with a loud thump. With her on the ground, the Scouts tossed a large, spiked net onto Annie, keeping her pinned.

"Nice work!" Hanji congratulated, the mastermind behind this plan. "And here I thought having a Plan C was nothing short of paranoid. Oh, Commander Erwin, you genius." The scientist grappled down to Annie's level, approaching her without a shred of fear. "Now…do us a favor: behave yourself."

Annie's pupil shrank when she put the tip of her sword inches from her eye.

"Oh, calling your cohorts to dinner isn't an option," Hanji taunted, a manic look appearing in her eyes and her voice becoming sinister. "So, let's not waste that lovely singing voice. In fact, let's not waste anything. No, no, I'm going to read your entrails. Every part of you has a story to tell."

Eyes widening, Annie stuck her leg out and did a ground swipe, taking out many of the cannons that were keeping her down. The Scouts were forced to retreat as she freed herself from the confines and took off.

"She got away!" Mikasa snarled.

"Damn it!" Hanji swore. "We didn't have time to set enough traps. Don't let her get away!"

The Scouts were in full pursuit as the Female Titan tried to head back to the area where she believed Eren was at. She tossed pieces of debris at them, knocking several Scouts aside, but the majority of them continued after her. Mikasa was out of control as she tried desperately to cut her apart, but a kick sent her flying, crashing onto the ground harder than before. Her gear was still intact and she was damn fortunate not to have any bones broken, but she was bleeding all over and she was out cold.

"Mikasa!" Armin screamed.

It was all going so wrong. The Scouts numbers were depleting, Mikasa was knocked out, and Eren was dying. It was only a matter of time before she won.

Then, a gigantic lightning bolt descended from the sky, causing a massive explosion in the distance. Annie slid to a stop as she waited for the inevitable. Eren had transformed, and he would be coming after her. She was prepared for that eventuality, and she could take him down like she did back in that forest. The ground began shaking its loudest as footsteps drew closer to her. He was running so fast that the windows he ran past shattered.

Annie turned around to meet him head-on, but was too slow to react to him punching her dead in the fast. It was so hard, she was sent flying into a chapel, destroying it completely and killing the majority of the people inside. Her eyes widened at the carnage beneath her, but she had to brush it aside. Eren was playing by her rules now, and that meant he wouldn't hold back. Hearing him roar, she quickly got to her feet and took off with an angry Titan hot on her trail. Just because that there would be collateral damage did mean she _wanted_ it, so she led him away from the civilians.

Eren, however, didn't give a damn where they fought. He was going to rip her to shreds no matter what happened. She would die by his hand one way or the other. By running, she was only delaying the inevitable.

Hanji, Armin, and Jean quickly followed them, ready to aid Eren if things went south.

"Well, looks like our boy's finally in control," Hanji noted.

"Still, there's no guarantee that things will end in our favor this time," Armin said.

"Are you kidding me?" Jean asked. "He wouldn't have transformed if he didn't think that he's got this, okay?"

"I don't doubt that," Armin replied, "but determination alone isn't enough to win a fight. You of all people should know that. It'll take more than that to beat Annie. A lot more."

Eren roared angrily as he continued his pursuit of Annie. She was taking him to level ground, a place not only away from the civilian population, but a place where the Scouts would be useless. She turned around, grabbing onto a building to slow down and dislodging whoever was too close to the edge. The two stared each other down, ready to end this.

 _Annie…always so cynical!_ Eren snarled inwardly. _Like everything around you was pointless! Nothing worth a second look. What you were to Dillon…it was just another mask to hide behind as you used him for your own benefits. In the end, he means nothing to you just like we don't mean anything to you!_

As if she could hear him, Annie got into her fighting stance, ready for the battle.

 _But every now and then, I could see through the act, especially when you were showing off your fighting skills. Maybe hand-to-hand combat didn't count for squat in our final grade at the Academy, but for you…it was a different story altogether. Yeah, about that much, at least, it was obvious you were a liar. Fighting's your whole world, but what exactly are you fighting for!? What could possibly had been worth ALL THIS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION!?"_

With the loudest roar he could muster, Eren charged. Annie hardened her elbow which she used to catch the punch. Unlike last time, though, his hand didn't break. It was like he had gotten stronger. She tried to kick him, but he blocked it, grabbing her leg in the process. He lifted her into the air and tossed her into a building, dazing her. Her eyes widened as he charged through another building just to get to her. Nothing mattered except her, and if this kept up, the entire city would be leveled.

* * *

"You say there are two of them hashing it out in the streets!?" Nile demanded, furious.

"Yes, sir," the MP who gave him the report answered. "The city's collapsing like a house of cards. It's just…it's horrifying. We can only guess how many casualties."

Growling, Nile pointed the rifle back to Erwin's chest. "Erwin, your arrogance has brought Hell to our door!"

"I know," the Scout commander replied as the screams of dying civilians filled the air. "I acted on my own authority, and I offer no excuses."

Lowering his gun, Nile grabbed him by the collar, speaking in a deadly tone. "You knew what this would do to us, you son of a bitch! You knew and our lives be damned! Why, damn you!? Why!?"

"For humanity," Erwin answered. "For victory."

"Don't give me that!" he yelled, pointing the gun at him again. "You're nothing but a traitor! I oughta kill you right here and now! None of the higher-ups would fault me."

He sighed. "Do as your conscious dictates. My post is yours."

That caught Nile off guard. "What?"

"The Female Titan must not escape," Erwin stated. "Deployment is through here and Byrer is in command of divisions. Work with them closely and do whatever is required to stop her."

"Shut up!" Nile demanded, a look of panic appearing on his face. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the situation alone. Despite how much he wanted Erwin's head on a pike for bringing death and destruction to his home, he knew that he couldn't handle the Scouts, not when they and the MPs were constantly at each other's throats. Maybe ten years ago, he could've, but now… "Do you…do you really believe that all this is for the good of us all!?"

"I have faith it's a step in the right direction," Erwin said, standing by his convictions.

Gritting his teeth, Nile lowered his gun. "Everyone, lower your rifles! Place this man under arrest. The rest of you, deploy immediately! As of now, focus on evacuation."

"Yes, sir!" the MPs shouted, moving out.

Nile glared at him one final time. "Erwin, I wash my hands of you and leave you to the high court."

"I'll accept their judgement," Erwin promised as he was shackled. "Thank you, Nile." He turned to the captain. "Levi, for now, stay here. A pointless death wouldn't suit you."

Levi's eyes narrowed. "No, I doubt it would…any more than it would suit anyone else." He had to concede that if he tried anything, he would just get in the way. For now, he would wait. If his instincts told him to go help Eren, then he would do so in a heartbeat. He only hoped that things were going to come to an end.

* * *

The Scouts watched in horror as Stohess fell to ruins. Buildings were demolished, some of them were on fire. Corpses littered the streets, most of them being civilians. The two had been fighting for only ten minutes and already, they caused so much pain and suffering. Still, it needed to be done if Eren was going to take Annie down. Sacrifices had to be made for humanity's continued survival.

Eren roared and charged once again, but Annie hardened her leg and cut his off with a single swipe. He wasn't deterred as he continued the assault, punching her into another building. The two were getting exhausted, Eren more so than Annie. It was only a matter of time before someone gave out.

 _Annie…Annie…_

Clenching her fist, Annie slammed her leg into Eren, pinning him to a building. She knew that she had a home to return to, a father that needed her. The Rogue Titan sunk his teeth into her crystallized leg, keeping her from pulling away. Furiously, Annie hardened her fist and started pounding Eren's head as hard as she could. She had to get out of here…even if it meant failing her mission.

 _Annie…I've always believed in you._ He had hugged her so tight, not wanting to let her go. _I've always been on your side._

With an anguish-filled roar, Annie bashed Eren's head so hard, it actually caved in. His jaw was loosened and she was able to get free. His body was practically torn apart, steam coming out from everywhere. She gave him a sorrowful look before she took off, running for the Wall. She could get scale it if she moved fast enough. It was over. She was going home.

"ANNIE!"

* * *

 **AN: To be concluded…**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: I was strongly considering uploading this chapter on the day of the Season 2 finale. And then I said…Nah! You guys have waited for this moment as much as I have and I shall give it to you.**

* * *

Chapter 22: One Final Chance

(Five minutes ago)

The view on top of any of the Walls was one to truly behold. One could see so much of the Districts that surrounded him and come to the realization that the world was vast and he was a speck compared to it. Such insightful thoughts were not on Dillon's mind as he stared down into Stohess District. What was once a glorious city was now a city of fire, smoke, and death. Even from up here, he could hear the people scream in terror as they ran or died trying.

It grieved the young blacksmith to no end to see this. This was what the plan resulted in: hundreds of lives killed and the survivors' lives destroyed. He let the Scouts go forward with this plan, and this was the price that was paid…because he wasn't strong enough to get off the floor until now.

In the distance, he could see Eren and Annie in their respective Titan forms battling it out. Judging from the roars they realized, it was a brutal one, meaning that it would get dicey once he was close enough. Could he actually stop them from fighting in order to plead his case? Could he actually pull it off?

 _Only one way to find out._ He thought as he checked his gas supply. _Not much left. It will have to be enough._

Before he took the plunge, a wave of fear passed over him. This was it. The moment he entered the city, he would be heading towards the battle, towards… _her._ So much of him wanted to just stay and wait it out, perhaps wait until Annie was not a Titan. Then again, at this point, that wasn't going to happen. No matter what he wanted, he was getting the Female Titan. It also worried him that he felt extremely tired from that brief fight with Levi Squad, but it couldn't be helped.

Closing his eyes, he jumped off the Wall before the Garrison could question his presence. As he fell, he took a few seconds to enjoy the rush before impaling his hooks into the Wall. So much easier than taking the stairs, and more fun. However, there was no more fun to be had, for he had a mission to complete, a more-than-likely suicidal one. He grappled into the city as he began to smell blood, death, and fire. It reminded him of Trost, and for some reason, this felt worse.

 _Maybe it's because the woman you love caused this._ Dillon thought sardonically. _Just a thought._

As he traveled deeper, he began to see people hiding in their homes, terrified for their lives. He sighed, knowing that the only thing he could do help them was stop the person causing this no matter the cost. Quickly, the living humans started turning into dead ones as he drew closer to the fight. So many corpses, and so many horrible ways they died. Buried alive, or stomped on without a second thought. He felt bile rise into his throat, but he shoved it back down. He could not stop for anything. Annie was the objective, and she was so close.

He managed to make it a block away from the fight as the ground shook with every blow. He couldn't see them, but he could damn well hear them. Unfortunately, it was at that moment his gas ran out, causing him to crash onto the ground. It hurt, but he could still move. Quickly, he ran down the block and peeked around the corner, his eyes widening at what he saw. The Female Titan had Eren pinned against the side of a building, continuously punching him while, for some reason, screaming, it seemed.

Dillon's pupils shrank when he saw her for real this time. There she was, the being of his recent nightmares, the one that never ceased to haunt him. For a moment, he wasn't in Stohess, but he was back in that village, hearing the spinning…spinning…spinning…

Breathing heavily, he retreated back into his cover, sinking into a sitting position. He couldn't do it. He couldn't muster up the will to stop her. Once Annie realized that he deceived her, she was going to kill him. Petra was right. This was a foolish move and he should never have come here.

 _Stop it!_ He demanded inwardly, trying to seize control of himself. _You are stronger than this! You know what you have to do! You will not falter! You will not fail! Get off your ass and make this right!_

Determined, Dillon stood up and unhooked the ODM Gear from his body, letting it fall to the ground. At this point, it was unnecessary weight. He sighed as he prepared to step out there. He had to move fast as he felt rumbling footsteps coming down the street in front of him. Dillon took several breaths and yelled at the top of his lungs just as she was running by. "ANNIE!"

The Female Titan's eyes widened as she stopped mid step, hardening her hand as she grabbed the building to slow down. It couldn't be him. He was dead! They told him that he had killed himself! She was tempted to shake it off and keep running for the wall.

Dillon's eyes flashed and reestablished the mind link he severed days ago before she could wipe it off as hearing voices in her head. "It's really me, Annie!"

Annie shook her head. It _had_ to be a trick! It had to be, but…she felt it. That connection in her mind. She turned around, her disbelief washing away. With a gesture, the smoke blew away from him as he stepped forward, his eyes returning to normal. He looked exhausted, but he was alive. " _ **…Dillon…?"**_

Slowly, he nodded his head while approaching her. "Yes." He looked over on the rooftops nearby and saw Jean, Hanji, and Armin watching this unfold. They were clearly shocked to see him now of all times, and he was afraid they were going to try to save him from her. He didn't want that to happen, especially considering the state he was about to put her in. Remembering the mind link he established over a month ago, he spoke mentally to Armin. _"Don't intervene unless she kills me. No arguments."_

Annie didn't know which emotion felt more real right now: the relief, or the sorrow at seeing him again. " _ **How…? They told me you died!"**_

 _Well, life, it was nice knowing you. No more secrets. No more lies._ Taking a deep breath, he admitted the truth. "I…we had to make sure you would have no reason to leave. If I was dead, if the loose end was taken care of…you would still be here."

In an instant, all those feelings she had towards him were replaced by a steadily growing rage. Dillon Amsdale, the man she loved the most, had not only sold her out, but faked his death to trap her. Annie clenched her fists, letting out a low growl. " _ **You**_ **lied** _ **to me?**_ **Manipulated** _ **me?"**_

Dillon was unable to face her as he said the one word that sealed his fate: "Yes."

The Female Titan let out an enraged roar and ran at him. He couldn't help but let out a yelp as he was scooped up in her hand as she passed by him. With another roar, she punched said hand into a building. It wasn't hard enough to kill him, but enough for him to feel the impact.

* * *

Jean's eyes widened in horror and prepared to launch for her. "I knew this was gonna happen! Come on!"

"Jean, don't!" Armin interrupted, pulling him back. "We can't do anything!"

"Why the hell not!?" he demanded, glaring at him as he yanked himself out of his loose grip.

"Because this is his choice," the blonde answered. "He's going to try and reason with her. Do what we failed to do earlier today."

"She's too far gone!" Jean shot back.

"If she was, Dillon would be dead right now," Armin pointed out quickly. "But if we intervene, she _will_ kill him. We have to give him this chance."

"He's trapped in the palm of the girl he loves and the Titan he fears the most," Hanji noted as Mikasa arrived on the scene, staring down at Dillon in shock. "If he breaks down…"

"He won't," Armin assured, looking down at him. "He knows what's at stake." _Dillon…I really hope you know what you're doing._

* * *

The fury in Annie's eyes sent shivers down his spine. " _ **This is all your fault, Dillon!"**_

Dillon avoided her gaze, fear all too evident in his eyes. How could he respond to that? The images were starting to come back. He was in the one place he never wanted to be: at her complete mercy.

Seeing him avoid looking at her only fueled her ire. _**"If you want to see another day, look at me and tell me why!"**_

Shaking out of his trauma, his brown eyes slowly met her giant, angry, blue ones. His own anger started to return as his quiet voice began to raise in volume. "I did it for Jensen. For Marcus. For Maria. For Darius. For Marco. For every single soldier _you_ killed!"

" _ **So, your brilliant idea was to put me in a position where I had to kill even more?!"**_ Annie growled.

"You did all that on your own!" Dillon shot back, not caring that he was arguing with someone who could pop his head off at a moment's notice anymore. "I may have forced you into a position where you had to make a choice, but, in the end, it was _still_ your choice. You could have given yourself up earlier, but you _chose_ to transform instead."

" _ **Because I have to get home, Dillon!"**_ she told him. _ **"I don't care if I have Eren or not anymore! I have to get out of here!"**_

He paused and gave her a confused look, his anger put aside for now. "What are you talking about?"

She stopped when she realized what she had said, what she revealed. She let out another growl, though it was more towards her own carelessness. " _ **Forget it. You don't need to know."**_

"And there you go again!" he responded, frustrated with her. "'I wouldn't understand.' 'You can't tell me.' 'I don't need to know.' Enough already! Did you ever think if you tried to explain yourself earlier, maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't be in this situation?"

" _ **And if I told you?"**_ Annie retorted. _**"If I said, 'Hey, Dillon. I have a secret to tell you. I'm a Titan Shifter sent here to capture someone,' how would you have reacted?"**_

"That's not explaining yourself, and you know it," he stated.

" _ **What is there to explain?!"**_ she yelled, doing everything in her power to not snap his body in half. _**"What do you want from me?!"**_

"The truth!" Dillon shouted back, panting. "I want to know what was so worth it to you to kill so many people! I want you…to just tell me why." He needed the answer to the question he asked in that village.

She scoffed at him. _**"The truth, Dillon? How is this for the truth? I want to go home. I want to go back to the home that I was forced to abandon five years ago, when I was sent here to get Eren."**_

One word stood out from the explanation. "Forced? You…you didn't choose this willingly?"

Now, her anger faded, replaced by a look of hurt. _**"…You think I wanted to do this?"**_ Annie asked quietly. _**"To come here, kill so many people, do whatever it took to get Eren...you think I wanted this?"**_

Dillon's eyes widened as the implications sunk in. Sure, he knew she felt regret for her actions, but he didn't consider that to be a possibility. Not after… "I…I could only see that smile. Nothing else." _And everything else that went with it._

Annie snorted derisively at him. _**"You mean that one moment of weakness, the one moment that my sadism got the better of me? You mean to tell me you've never felt that way when you fought someone or when you killed a Titan?"**_

For a moment, the image of a man in green attire came to mind.

" _I told you I'd make you pay, didn't I?"_

Dillon shook himself out of that memory and glared at her. She had no idea what her "one moment of weakness" did to him, but right now, that didn't matter. He was not going to play a game to see who hurt who the most. "None of the people I ever fought or killed begged for me to let them go. And, in case you've forgotten, Titans are trying to eat every single one of us! When I kill Titans or anyone else, for that matter, I'm trying to save lives. You're trying to end them!"

" _ **No, I'm trying to get one person,"**_ Annie corrected. _ **"Only when I have Eren can I leave."**_

Dillon looked at her incredulously. How was she not getting it? "And then what!? You take away the one person that has given us any semblance of a chance to live, guess what happens? Without Eren, the Titans will kill us all. You'd be condemning every single person in these Walls to death! Do you even care?"

" _ **Of course I care, Dillon! I may act cold, but that's all it is! An act! I care, but…"**_ She put her head down. _**"…I just want to go home."**_

With the Female Titan's grip on him lessening, Dillon managed to free both his arms. He needed to calm down. Raising his voice at her was getting him nowhere. "The cost is too high, Annie. You could take Eren, but every man, woman and child would pay for it with their lives...including mine. I would not abandon my duty. When these Walls come crashing down, I would kill as many Titans as I could if it meant giving humanity the slightest chance to survive. Of course, I wouldn't last very long and I would eventually be killed. It's the only way this would end."

Annie didn't meet his gaze as those words echoed in her mind. She chose to ignore that crucial fact, that if she completed her mission, not only would everyone in the Walls die, but the man she loved as well. She knew him well enough to believe his words and she couldn't deny it any longer.

"Annie?" Dillon asked suddenly when she didn't say anything in response.

Letting out a sigh, she raised her head back and made eye contact with him. _**"Dillon…what do you want?"**_

"I want the fighting to stop," he answered. "I don't want to lose you."

" _ **Why? In the end, I've done things that can't be forgiven!"**_ she pointed out. _ **"I can't stay here. If I do, they'll kill me."**_

"Not if we surrender into their custody," Dillon suggested. "If we can prove that we're more valuable alive, they won't kill us."

" _ **Who is we?"**_ she muttered. _**"They love you. They hate me."**_

"I just interfered with a military operation and outed myself as a mind reader, Annie. No matter what happens, they're coming after me too." He snorted as he thought about Eren's trial. "Knowing the MPs, they'll want to carve out my brain for 'Humanity's Cause.'"

" _ **Then we can both leave!"**_ Annie pleaded. _**"I can get us both over the Wall! We can escape this place!"**_

Dillon let out a sad sigh, shaking his head. "Annie, as relieving it would be to leave all of this behind, to leave the war for good, I have family and friends that need me, too. I can't abandon them to their deaths. I know what I'm asking you is beyond risky. It's practically suicidal, and after what I did you, I have no right to ask you this, but…" He took another deep breath. He honestly thought he wouldn't get this far, but now that he did… "…if I told you that I will not let them torture you or kill you, will you be able to trust me? Just one. Last. Time?"

She shook her head, more lost than ever. _**"…I don't know what to do, Dillon."**_

"I know," Dillon said softly.

Taking a risk, he stretched his hand out towards her face. That surprised her, given how just a few minutes ago, she was ready to kill him, but here he was, trying to reach her.

Annie closed the distance, bringing him closer to her face. Once he was close enough, Dillon placed his hand on her cheek. She flinched, not used to this kind of contact as a Titan. Worried that he somehow hurt her, he retracted his hand only for the Female Titan to lean her head in just a little bit, indicating she wanted this. She needed to feel his touch. Cautiously, he placed his hand right back on her. He knew her body currently emanated heat, but her skin wasn't scalding as he feared it would be; in fact, it felt like she had fever all over her body. It was…nice.

"Annie, please give me the chance to make this right," Dillon pleaded quietly.

" _ **Do you really think you can protect me from them?"**_ she asked him.

There was no certain way of knowing, that much was true. "I guess we'll find out together, won't we?"

" _ **I'm scared, Dillon,"**_ she admitted, holding him close.

"So am I…but I made you a promise, and I'm going to keep it." Not caring that they were being watched, and not caring that that their fates from here on out would be intertwined because of his actions, Dillon leaned in and kissed the woman he loved on her giant lips.

Annie's eyes widened at that. She felt it, that was for damn sure. But she honestly didn't know what to make of it. So, she did what came naturally: closing her eyes, she relaxed into it and kissed back.

Was it awkward that he was kissing a woman whose lips enveloped his entire face? Admittingly, a little. Did he care? No, he did not. Even after everything she had done, Dillon still loved her, and would continue to do so for the rest of his life. It wasn't just an action confessing their love to each other once again. It was laying down everything the two had gone through right at that very moment when words failed. It wasn't an intense kiss, but it was the best one they ever shared together.

* * *

Jean's jaw dropped, completely loss for words. There were so many questions he had. How was Dillon able to keep a steady conversation with someone who couldn't talk? Why was he able to call out Annie without getting splattered? And, most importantly, was Dillon Amsdale seriously making out with the Female Titan?

Armin simply observed the situation carefully. Somehow, Dillon could communicate with Annie in her Titan form, which gave him an advantage. Judging from the one-sided conversation he could hear, he was not trying to help her escape. He desperately wanted the woman he loved to stop on her own volition. He hoped that kiss wasn't a goodbye kiss. Otherwise, it wouldn't end well.

Mikasa had so many questions, but, like Jean, her jaw dropped the moment the two started to kiss. Did Dillon just to decide to forget the fact that his girlfriend was responsible for the deaths of many soldiers and civilians? And that was just today! How could he still love her after all of that? None of this made any sense to her.

Hanji, however, had a grin stretched out to full capacity. Dillon's actions were making history. When they started to kiss, though, her inner romantic started squealing with delight. True, out of all the people the young man could have fallen in love with, it had to be the Female Titan, but still. If Dillon came through, she promised herself not to torture the girl. There were far more possibilities to explore if both of them were willing. Right now, she had to wait and see.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, they pulled away as Dillon rested his head against hers, both of them closing their eyes. The warmth of her body was so soothing and so calming. Right now, everything was put aside at the moment. The only thing that mattered was each other.

"I love you so much, Annie," he whispered.

 _ **"I love you, too, Dillon,"**_ she whispered back, tears sliding down her face. Her emotions were finally coming to a head.

"Oh, come on. The kiss couldn't have been that painful," he teased as he backed away a little.

Despite the circumstances, Annie couldn't help but chuckle a little at the joke, wiping them away with her other hand. He smiled back, happy that they could share possibly their last laugh together before…

"It's your move, Annie," he told her. "What's it gonna be?"

The crossroads laid before her and it was time to choose. She looked up at the group, now joined by several more Survey Corps members and soldiers from the Garrison, all eying her with apprehension and hands drawn to their swords. As expected, they all feared and hated her. Well, the crazy woman with glasses was grinning as if she was given all the wealth in the world, but she was the only exception. And, of course, Little Miss Perfect-Soldier was glaring at her, waiting for her to make a wrong move. For a second, her eyes landed on Armin, who visibly flinched when she locked eyes with him. Considering she was trying to kill him earlier, that wasn't very surprising.

Next her eyes landed on Eren, who was still lying slumped against the building, though there was less steam coming out of his body. The regeneration process was almost complete and he would be getting up soon. Once he did, all hell would break loose.

Then, the Female Titan looked over her shoulder at the Wall, close yet so far. That was the only way of escaping Stohess. She could just abandon the mission completely, leave, and never come back. If she was fast enough, she could make it. She could make it. She could go back to her hometown, back to her father, but this was only the center wall. She still had to make it all the way to Rose, but the trip would be worth it once she got out…until she got back. When the people who forced her into this learned of her failures, she'd be killed.

Finally, her eyes went back to Dillon, hopeful and fearful of her decision. He was the only reason that she was so conflicted right now. She wanted to hate him for it, for making things complicated for her, but at the same time, she felt grateful that someone like him was in her life. He came all this way and risked certain death just to make things right. He even stood up to her despite being in such a vulnerable position. There was no question as to whether he had a set or not, and she admired him for it.

Annie closed her eyes for a moment, trying to come up with the right decision. She heard the voices of the two people she loved battling it out in her head. Only one of them would win.

" _Annie…I've always believed in you."_

" _I made you a promise, and I'm going to keep it."_

 _"Your dad is the one person who is on your side."_

 _"Annie, please give me the chance to make this right."_

 _"Promise me…that you will return."_

 _"It's your move, Annie. What's it gonna be?"_

… _I'm sorry, Daddy._

She looked down at Dillon and nodded. _**"…I'm going to surrender."**_

Dillon allowed a small smile to enter on his face as he looked back and shouted, "Annie has decided to surrender! It's finally over!"

The soldiers widened their eyes in shock, some even dropping their swords. Did he just say what they thought they heard him say?

"He did it," Jean said in disbelief. "He actually did it."

Armin couldn't believe it either. He honestly thought that Annie would ignore his pleas and try to escape, but she didn't. He was never happier to be wrong in his entire life.

"I can't wait to see look on Erwin and Levi's faces when they see this," Hanji stated, eager to get started with those two.

Mikasa just snorted, continuing to watch the Female Titan carefully. "The day's not over yet."

However, none of them were more relieved than the human she had in her hand, who felt like he just fought tooth-and-nail for a stay-of-execution verdict. Come to think of it, that was pretty accurate to what was going on. With Annie choosing to surrender, he knew that he wouldn't lose her again…hopefully. Unfortunately, there was a new problem that Dillon would have to face. He just outed himself as a mind reader, and his actions today were going to be brought to court for examination. If his mom's actions brought intense scrutiny on their family, his actions would have even bigger ramifications.

 _I saved Annie and prevented more people from dying needlessly._ He reasoned. _It was all worth it._ Still, it didn't stop him from being worried, and he wasn't the only one.

Like Dillon, Annie was concerned not just for his wellbeing but her own. She still believed that humanity would fight their hardest to get her executed no matter what her boyfriend could do. Worst-case scenario, the two would either die or have to run away (that would take some convincing) and live the rest of their lives as fugitives. And then, of course, there was the small matter of her abandoning the mission and betraying the other Titan Shifters in the process. Once they found out that she willfully surrendered, the clock would start ticking. Either they would run, or their plans would accelerate. She doubted the two of them could be convinced to stop. Mentally, they were too far gone than she was.

"We're going to get through this," Dillon said, interrupting her thoughts.

 _ **"I hope you're right,"**_ she responded.

Suddenly, a loud, rage-filled roar cut in. Shocked, Annie looked to see Eren standing up with his wounds regenerated and murder in his now-blue eyes. Not only that, his veins were glowing orange and parts of his body were on fire. He looked like something out of her worst nightmares.

 _ **"Damn it, we talked to long!"**_ Annie exclaimed.

"Oh, shit!" Dillon swore, fear all too evident on his face.

 _ **"Get out of here, Dillon!"**_ Annie demanded as Eren prepared to charge.

"Can't! I don't have any gear!" he informed her.

She groaned. _**"Of course you don't. Hang on!"**_

The street was too narrow for her to sidestep Eren's charge, so she had to take it. She held Dillon against her chest with one hand to protect him, which she hardened for good measure, and held out the other, ready for impact. The Rogue Titan crashed into her and tackled her to the ground, consumed with fury. With her free hand, she held his face back, but it was only going to be temporary.

Quickly, Annie placed Dillon on the ground and yelled, _**"RUN!"**_

Once the teen was back on his feet, he ran as if the fires of Hell were about to consume him just as a fist from Eren smashed into her face, making it cave in. He wrapped his hands around her throat and began to choke her. The Female Titan tried to pry his hands off of her, but he was too strong. It was clear that Eren had no interest in taking her alive, and his fingers were trying to snake around to her nape. So much for giving herself up.

Hanji would not stand for it. "Cut him out! We need her alive!"

Nodding, several Survey Corps members, including Jean, charged towards the Titans, swords at the ready. Mikasa was more hesitant; she wanted Annie to die for what she did. That being said, she knew she had answers that they needed in order to win this war. With a frustrated yell, she followed her comrades towards the battle.

Seeing them on their way, Dillon chose not to stand idle. He needed to distract Eren long enough for the Survey Corps to do their job. Quickly, he reestablished a mental link with Eren and began to speak to him. " _Eren, that's enough!_ "

The Rogue Titan's eyes landed on Dillon, growling at him like a rabid dog about to pounce. The good news was that he had his attention. The bad news was that he had his attention.

" _Eren, it's over!_ " he pointed out. " _There's no need to fight anymore! Let her go!_ "

The Titan's response was to roar loudly in his direction, forcing Dillon to cover his ears. It was clear that he didn't want to talk. He was worried that he would take a swipe at him for trying to save Annie, but, fortunately, he didn't have to find out. A precise slash from Jean cut open the nape, and Hanji pulled the exposed Eren out of the Titan's body, which was frozen in a state of fury. Once he was completely free and out of the way, Annie pushed the empty vessel off her and to the side before getting up in a sitting position. _Too close._

"Don't move, you monster!" one of the Survey Corps soldiers demanded, his voice riddled with fear.

The Female Titan analyzed the situation. The remaining soldiers had her surrounded with swords and rifles pointing at her. They were waiting for her to make the first move. Instinctively, she covered her nape to keep them from getting any ideas. She would come out by herself.

Eren was taking this as well as he could. "Why the hell did you stop me?"

"Because she surrendered," Hanji answered sternly. "We need her alive."

Panting, the Titan Shifter, who had red marks on his eyes, glared at Dillon, wanting nothing more than to beat the living crap out of him. Annie was the enemy and she deserved to die for all the things she did to them, and yet here Dillon was, keeping her alive. He probably would have hit him if he wasn't so weakened. "You son of a bitch."

Dillon opened his mouth to respond, but Annie stopped him.

 _ **"Don't make it worse,"**_ she warned. _**"Just tell them I'm coming out."**_

Turning to the soldiers, Dillon said, "Annie's about to cut herself-"

Yet again, he was interrupted, but instead of words, he received a hard punch to the face courtesy of Mikasa. Before he could retaliate, she put a knife to his neck, ready to slice it open.

Annie stared down at the Oriental, giving her a deadly glare. _**"Tell her to let you go, or I will smear the building with her blood."**_

Dillon tried to speak, but Mikasa wouldn't let him.

"My turn to talk," she said coldly, looking up at her. "Listen carefully, Leonhart. I'm going to give you one, simple warning: if you even _think_ about betraying us again, I will kill your boyfriend in the most painful way possible and then…you'll be next. Trust me, I know a thing or two about pain. Are we clear?"

Clenching a fist, Annie spoke in a clipped tone. _**"Tell her we're clear!"**_

"She says-."

"Not you!" Mikasa interrupted. "I want the answer to come from her."

The Female Titan growled at her, but she gave a single nod.

"We're on the same page," she said as she turned Dillon around and punched him in the face, knocking him down. "That's to remind you."

It took all of Annie's willpower to not smash Mikasa into the ground, but if she did, it wouldn't end well for anybody. She simply sighed and hardened her fingers, slicing her nape open. Once most of the flesh was gone, Annie pulled herself out, landing on the ground and panting. She was just as tired as the rest of them. There were red marks on her eyes like Eren had, indicating that it was a momentarily side effect for Shifters. As she helped Dillon up, who was incredibly groggy, a Section Commander of the Scouts approached them.

"Dillon Amsdale and Annie Leonhart, you are both under arrest," he announced as the two were immediately shackled. "Any attempt to escape or transform will be met with lethal force!"

"It's gonna be okay, Annie," Dillon promised.

"I know," she replied.

Once they were secure, the Scouts began the march towards the capital. Nearby, Dillon saw Captain Levi eying them with eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure what was going through his head, and he had no idea if he would be advocating for their survival or their execution, especially once he heard about what happened to his squad. Hell, he didn't really know who was going to be on their side after all this.

He let out a sigh. He did what he deemed was right and he succeeded. Annie had surrendered, and humanity was getting another Shifter and a guy with mind powers. However, Dillon knew that fight was far from over. So many people would be calling for their heads, whether they be Scouts, Garrison Troops, or MPs. At least he wasn't alone. He and Annie would go through this together and come out stronger. He didn't come all this way just get executed.

 _One day at a time._ Dillon thought. _One day at a time._

* * *

 **AN: Hallelujah! I have finally made it to the point that I've wanted to reach since November of last year!**

 **First of all, a huge shout-out to St33lstrif3 for writing Annie's dialogue during the confrontation. He's been a godsend to me for this chapter. It took three rewrites to get it the way that it is now. I'll explain why in a bit. Another huge shout-out to Notorious T for being the first person I showed him these ideas to. Talk about encouragement.**

 **With that out of the way, it's time for me to reveal why I wrote this story. To put it simply, I really like Annie as a character, and I was trying to find fanfic stories that involved romantic interests saving her from self-crystallization, but I couldn't find that story. She always ended up in crystal, and it got on my nerves. The worst offender was a story that had me invested, especially during the revelation, but in the end, she got crystallized. AKA: nothing changed! I was so pissed off. So, then I decided if I couldn't find a story like that, I would make my own.**

 **Titan Shifter OCs are very common, so I chose NOT to make my character a Titan Shifter. Sorry, guys. It's not gonna happen. It took me a while, but I was able to come up with Dillon Amsdale, the handsome, psychic blacksmith with a penchant for getting himself into trouble. For a while, I didn't know if I could create good chemistry between him and Annie, but, if the comments are anything to go by, I pulled it off.**

 **As for the psychic aspect, I wanted my character to have the ability to communicate with Annie while she was in Titan form. I'm not sure if I'm gonna make her learn how to talk in the future or not, but considering Dillon's mind link abilities, probably not gonna happen. So, like Stephen King, I gave my character psychic abilities. Unlike Stephen King, I'm gonna explain it soon. That's right. In the next few chapters, we're going to discover where and how Dillon got his abilities.**

 **The village scene in Chapter 17 was planned from the very beginning. It put Dillon in a situation where he's exposed to the ruthlessness and the sadistic tendencies of the Female Titan, her "one moment of weakness" as she calls it. That's the one scene in the entire anime that made me despise her. Not killing Levi Squad, but that despicable moment where she spun a man to death. Don't worry. She will find out soon enough just how much she really hurt Dillon by that moment.**

 **And now, let's talk about the Stohess Confrontation. I'm not gonna lie: it was hard to watch Episodes 24 and 25 because it breaks my heart to see Annie kill those people without mercy. However, the very moment that made me say, "That's the moment when Dillon will intervene!" was a brief, sorrowful look she gave to Eren after she smashed his face in for the final time before running. Originally, the scene was written where Dillon wasn't at fault in the slightest and pretty much came in like a knight in shining armor, but thanks to my co-writer of this scene, this turned out better. The two hurt each other in different ways, and while Dillon was hurt far more by Annie, what he allowed to happen in regards to faking his death was still cruel.**

 **So, with all that said, Annie has not been crystallized, and thus, the story has changed. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on all of this, as well as asking yourself two questions:**

 **1\. Why did Annie choose Dillon over her father?**

 **2\. What do you think is the source of Dillon's abilities?**

 **Until next time as we dive into an original arc!**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Longest! Chapter! Yet! Before we begin, I want to talk about a few things.**

 **First, I have a poll on my profile. These are future projects that I want to work on in regards to Attack on Titan regarding Alternate Universes, the path not taken. The poll will stay up there for a long time until I either reach the ending to this story, or reach a point where I can't go on for a while.**

 **Second, I want to thank St33lStrif3 for his immense help with this entire arc. He helped me write almost all of Annie's dialogue, Levi's dialogue, and Hanji's dialogue. This arc went in million different directions, with millions of rewrites that I had Steel do. When it comes to this arc, I was trying to be a perfectionist. Since this is my original arc, I wanted to make sure that it's something that I'm proud and I can look back and say, "Holy crap! I did that, and people loved it…hopefully." None of this, however, would've been possible without Steel's help, who deserves praise for his excellent writing especially in regards to Annie.**

 **Third, I want to thank all the people that have been enjoying my story so far, especially with Chapter 22. 234 reviews, 117 favorites, 121 followers, and nearly 25,000 views. That is incredible! You all have been good to me, and I hope that this story continues to be good for you.**

 **Fourth, I want to warn all the anime-only fans who reading this story. There are going to be a whole lot of spoilers that uncovers the majority of the mysteries in the show. You have been warned.**

 **With all that said, let's dive into the next arc.**

* * *

Chapter 23: Trial of the Female Titan

 _The city was engulfed with flames. Buildings had started to collapse all around him, forcing him to jump out of the way of the crumbling homes. The path between the flames was getting narrower by the second, so he had to move quickly. He was constantly licked by fire, but his body remained burn-free. His clothes, however, were covered in ash, soot, and pieces had been scorched and consumed._

Where am I going? _He wondered as he started coughing from the smoke inhalation. He could barely see._

 _Then, the bloodcurdling screams started. On instinct, after flinching from the shrill tones, he followed the voices, dodging falling debris in the process. Maybe he could save some people and find a way out of here._

 _Once he rounded a corner, he staggered back in fright. The road ahead was completely covered by the flames, but there were people running through them, burning alive. There was no way he could put the fire. They were going to die a slow, painful death, and he could do nothing about it. He watched these people succumb to the burns, turning to flesh, bones, and ash, a putrid smell filling the air. It was a horrible, wretched sight, but he couldn't turn his gaze away._

 _Suddenly, one person ran towards him, a woman. Before he could move, he was grabbed by the collar._

 _"You killed us!" she yelled as the skin dissolved off her body. "You killed us!"_

 _Panicking, he shoved the woman off him, watching as she screamed her last, her body fading into ash._

 _He turned around to leave, but there were three soldiers waiting for him. Judging by their cloaks and insignias, they were Scouts. Each of them spurted blood out of their face, and every step they took, a disgusting sound of bones snapping filled the air._

 _"You let us die," the Scout in the center droned._

 _With wide eyes, he started backing up. "No."_

 _"You let her kill us all," the Scout on the right added._

 _He shook his head, fearful of them. "Get away!"_

 _Then, his froze when he started to hear it. Spinning…_

 _Slowly, he looked up and behind him, falling to the ground in utter terror. It was her, still spinning him with that sadistic smile. He shut his eyes tightly, covering his ears as the Scouts continued spouting accusations, and the burning people of the city begged for their lives, begging_ him _to save them from his actions. The ground shook as she stepped towards him. Her smile quickly turned into a look of unforgiving rage._

 _ **"This is all your fault, Dillon!"**_ _she shouted with unadulterated fury._

 _He didn't even move as she lifted her foot and stomped down on top of his body._

* * *

Dillon lunged into a sitting position, panting heavily. His eyes traveled around the area he was in, finding himself in a cold, dank cell with nothing but a few torches as his light, and no windows.

"Keep it down, freak!" a guard on the other side of the cell ordered.

He let out a low growl, but he didn't give a retort. Counting off the hours the guards changed their shifts, Dillon could figure out that he had been imprisoned for two days, and the conditions here were terrible. Nothing he could do about them. Just enjoy the sweet aroma of his body odor, the bathroom bucket, and the most uncomfortable bed he had ever slept in.

 _Could be worse._ He reasoned. _Could be a dissection table._

Het let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes and feeling the bags under them. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time. The last time he could remember that happening was a few days ago before the Expedition. Ever since then, he was faced with terrible nightmares, most of them consisting of the Female Titan, the Titan he feared the most. Even after the kiss he shared with her, that damning fear remained. The smile, the fury, the savagery…no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget them.

Speaking of which, he wondered how Annie was doing. He hadn't seen her since he was imprisoned, except for when they got here, when, for a brief time, their cells were next to each other. It gave them the time they needed to…tie up some loose ends.

* * *

 _"You know, one of my goals in life was to never end up in a cell, but here I am," Dillon said with a mirthless chuckle._

 _"Your own fault," Annie reminded him. "You didn't have to come back for me."_

 _"Yes, I did," he stated. "If I didn't come back…who knows what could've happened."_

 _She sighed and sat on her bed. "Probably would have tried to escape and failed. Then I would have resorted to plan B."_

 _"Which was?"_

 _"Make sure they couldn't get anything useful out of me," she answered._

 _Dillon looked at her in shock. "You mean…kill yourself?" he dared to ask._

 _"No. Freeze myself in crystal," Annie corrected._

 _"I thought I saw crystallizing your skin against Eren…" he remembered quietly._

 _There was an uncomfortable silence between them. There were still things that needed to be said, things that they needed closure on._

 _Dillon was the first to start with a soft, "...I'm so sorry, Annie."_

 _"For what?" she asked. "I made the decision to surrender."_

 _He shook his head. "No, that's not…" He closed his eyes and spoke in a shaky voice. "I broke my promise. I abandoned you."_

 _Annie didn't say anything for a moment, but when she spoke, it was quiet. "Yes, you did."_

 _Dillon clenched his fist, upset at himself. "I couldn't...I...wasn't strong enough to do the right thing," he said._

 _"You did what you thought you had to," Annie reasoned._

 _He shook his head. "It doesn't make it right."_

 _"No, it doesn't."_

 _"...That's all I wanted to say," he finished. Part of him wanted to tell her what happened to him, why he did what he did, but...he couldn't do it._

 _Annie being Annie, however, she noticed he was holding something back. "No, it's not."_

 _"Fine, it's all I_ _need_ _to say," Dillon corrected._

 _"What do you want to say?" she pressed._

 _"It doesn't matter," he replied._

 _"If it didn't matter, I wouldn't have asked," she pointed out._

 _"But in the end, it won't," he shot back._

 _"Dillon, you can tell me anything," Annie assured, trying to stay patient with him._

 _"I can't!" Dillon stated, getting defensive and anxious._

 _"And why not?" she questioned._

 _He didn't answer, staring down at the ground. She could see he was afraid, though she couldn't tell what he feared most: saying it, or her response to it. He didn't...trust her._

 _"Dillon, please," Annie pleaded. "Tell me what's wrong."_

 _"'...One moment of weakness,' right?" he asked, repeating what she said to him. "I mean, I should get it. I do get it. The thrill of fighting. I feel that too. Most people probably do. Being able to completely destroy your enemies and let them know that there's no way they will survive, that they will die. Sure, they beg, but they brought it upon themselves." He was crumbling as he went back to that horrible moment. He was shaking and tears were falling. "A smile and a slow death? A fear tactic for the survivors so that they know they're going to die. That they will never go back home to the people that love them! That nothing will stop you from-!"_

 _"Dillon, stop," she said sternly, though the tears on her face showed she was trying to stay composed._

 _He closed his mouth, wiping away his tears._

 _Annie sighed. "...I didn't do it to let them know they'd die. I didn't dominate my enemy to prove my superiority. Yes, I gave into the adrenaline and the combat. That's who I am. Yes, I killed them brutally and efficiently, a fear tactic. That's a legitimate strategy. Yes, I took my time with him, and it was a moment of morbid, disgusting pleasure. None of what I did was supposed to be for enjoyment, not directly. Nothing…except for that one, horrible, despicable moment."_

 _"See?" he asked, looking at her through painful eyes. "That makes sense. I shouldn't feel this way."_

 _She shook her head sadly, wiping away the tears from her own face. "No. It makes perfect sense for you to be angry. For you to be hurt."_

 _"To be afraid?" he asked quietly. "To see it play out every single day, to think that any moment…?"_

 _Annie once thought that his actions were motivated by spite and wanting revenge. Now, though, she was seeing a different story. "Dillon…why didn't you come to me?"_

 _He didn't answer at first, but, after taking a deep breath, he went ahead and said it. "I was terrified. I couldn't leave that village. I couldn't stop seeing that memory over and over again. I didn't want you to find me."_

 _Fear. It circled back to his fear of the Female Titan, of her. This was worse than his fear of failure. This was one that had damaged him deeper and greater than she could ever imagine._ _"And now?" Annie asked, trying not to sound hurt._

 _"And now I realize that I was spineless coward," Dillon answered, self-loathing apparent in his tone. "I wasn't strong enough to get past it. To cope. To do the right thing."_

 _"Well…now you don't have to be alone," she assured him._

 _"Annie, please...don't." He shook his head. "You once thought of me as a typical, idealistic moron, but I'm not even that. I'm not worth it. I never was."_

 _"You've got the moron part right if you think like that," Annie told him bluntly, though her tone was now a bit shaky. "Dillon, I gave myself to you. I care about you. I love you. You really think that you're not worth all of that?"_

 _"Annie, I failed you. I broke my promise. I did what you thought I would do."_

 _"You fixed it, though," she reminded him._

 _"I should've intervened sooner," Dillon said with a clenched fist._

 _"What do you mean by that?"_

 _He shook his head. He didn't mean for that to slip out. "Nothing. It's an excuse. Nothing more."_

 _"Dillon, if you keep assuming I'm going to get angry with you, it's going to make me angry," she stated in a stern tone. "Talk."_

 _Dillon sighed, but he relented. "The day after the Expedition, Levi told me about a letter that was sent to you, a letter saying I was dead. He told me about a plan that was going to take you down…and I didn't fight it. I just...let it happen."_

" _You went along with the flow," Annie summed up. "Why?"_

 _"The damage was already done. You had gotten that letter at that point. If I went to you then...you probably would've..." His voice trailed off. "Like I said. Just an excuse."_

 _"Dillon, if I had seen you alive, I would have tackled you and refused to let you go. I would've been relieved." She stood up and approached the bars that kept them separated. "I get why you were afraid. I really do. You didn't know who I was anymore, and after what I did to you and your squad…" She stopped, looking away. "Do you know why I try to kill quickly and efficiently?"_

" _No," Dillon answered._

 _"So I don't have to think about it. If I think about it, then I feel the guilty. If I feel guilty, I can't do my job. I never wanted to hurt anyone. But I had to do it, Dillon. My mission is the only way I can get home. To my father. The only one who ever cared. Then you came along. I fell in love with you. I'm willing to sacrifice myself for you. I gave up my mission for you. My father is probably going to die. I'll be branded a traitor. They'll try and kill me." She looked at Dillon's eyes and said with the utmost sincerity, "But I'm willing to go through all of that and more for you."_

 _Slowly, Dillon rose from his cot and approached the bars. He reached in and held her hand, trying to offer her some comfort. She responded by giving it a gentle squeeze._

 _"Annie...tell me the truth," he said quietly. "Your father means so much to you. What can I give you that he can't?"_

 _She didn't hesitate to answer. "He said that he'd love me no matter what the world thought of me. That he'd always be on my side. You? You opposed me for the same reason. Because he loves me, he'd do anything I tell him to. You fought me because you love me."_

 _"I...I never wanted you to go down the path you were taking."_

 _She nodded. "Exactly. He didn't either, but he would have loved me for it anyways. Just because I was his daughter."_

 _Dillon sighed. "I guess I did something right after all."_

 _"You sound surprised."_

" _After everything I did..."_

 _"I've done worse," she stated, closing her eyes as tears started streaming down her face again. "I'm so sorry, Dillon._ _I'm sorry I tried to kill you in Stohess. I'm sorry that I killed so many people, especially your friends. But most of all…I'm so sorry that I hurt you so badly."_

" _And I'm sorry that I faked my death," he replied sadly, too exhausted to cry anymore. "For letting the Scouts go forward with the plan, and…for almost making my death into a reality."_

"… _Can you forgive me?" Annie asked quietly._

" _I forgave you the moment I asked you to let me make it right."_

 _She smiled, her tears falling a bit faster as she brought his hand to her face, rubbing it against her cheek. "I love you so much, Dillon, and I forgive you, too."_

* * *

After that conversation, the MPs decided to split them up so they couldn't "plan their escape" and sat him down in a room for a long time, interrogating him. The MPs despised them both, suffice it to say, and they were looking forward to doing everything in their power to make the two suffer.

 _This whole thing has been a complete mess._ Dillon summed up, staring down at the ground.

Then, he heard the door opening and footsteps coming towards his cell. "Leave us," a familiar female voice ordered.

"Yes, Squad Leader," the guards replied, vacating the area.

"Kyler, good to see you again," Dillon greeted as she came into view.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked with a concerned look. "Conditions are as bad as ever, I see."

He nodded. "The guards haven't told me anything about what's going on. Mind shedding some light on our situation?"

Kyler sighed, leaning against the wall. "I'm gonna be honest, Dillon. It's bad. The districts are up in arms about what happened in Stohess. Final count: 354 casualties, most them civilians."

The blacksmith winced at the high number. He could only imagine how many families were destroyed in one day.

"Naturally, the people have been demanding Annie's head on a platter," she continued, "but she's not the only one under fire. Once word got out that the Stohess Operation was a Scout Regiment Operation, humanity was up in arms about it, even calling for Commander Erwin to get court-martialed." She clenched a fist, angry. "After what that man allowed to happen in my city, a court-martial is the least I would give him. Hundreds of people dead in the streets and structural damage that will take years to rebuild, I'd shoot him if I could."

Dillon massaged his forehead, frustrated. To think things could change dramatically in a matter of days. "So, things have gone from bad to worse," he summed irritably.

"It would've been worse if the Female Titan escaped," Kyler admitted. "That's the only thing that kept Erwin out of the firing squad's way."

"And me?" he finally asked. "What's the consensus?"

"Well, your powers something we've never seen before," she said, "so…half the people think you should be dissected, and the other half think you could be an asset. Unfortunately, you've reached infamy levels as of late."

He raised an eyebrow. "What, me talking down Annie?"

"Congratulations, Dillon, for being the first human to ever kiss a Titan," Kyler said in a deadpan tone.

Dillon facepalmed in response. "Seriously?"

"It's either magical powers or Titan kissing when your name is brought up." She sighed. "Look, for what it's worth, I'm still on your side. You salvaged the situation in Stohess, Dillon. That's not gonna be forgotten, but so much is stacked against you and your girlfriend."

"Annie has information that humanity needs and an opportunity for us to strike back against the Titans," he pointed out. "Whether they like it or not, they need her." He took another deep breath to calm his nerves. "How are my parents taking it?"

Kyler looked away. "After what happened and what was revealed…your parents are being held for questioning."

Dillon's eyes widened, shooting out of his bed. "What!? They had nothing to do with this!"

"I know that, Amsdale!" she shot back sternly. "But do you really think the MPs are gonna let this opportunity slide? They can discredit your mother due what you are and what you've done. They've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"And my father?" he dared to ask.

"He admitted to having powers like you, so they're keeping him locked up until your fate is decided under heavy guard. They don't want him to cause any complications."

The blacksmith let out a frustrated yell before glaring at her. "Anything else you want to share!?"

She crossed her arms. "Keep a level head, Amsdale. You lose control, and you're gonna lose. The trial is going to begin soon, so I suggest you start planning your defense. Your mother is prohibited from representing you, so you and Annie are on your own. You have ten minutes to prepare." She sighed as she turned to walk away. "I'm sorry there's nothing I can do."

"Just…tell my parents I'm all right," Dillon pleaded quietly. "If you can."

"That I _can_ do," Kyler said before exiting the cell block. "Good luck."

Dillon groaned as he sat back down on the bed. _No defense attorney, no public support, Commander Erwin under harsh scrutiny, and very few allies. This is not going to end well._

* * *

On the other side of the prison, Annie just stared at the ceiling like she had been doing for the past couple of days. Her mind constantly drifted to back to the conversations she had with Dillon, how much he wanted to not just save her, but be an asset for humanity. He was a soldier for humanity, and he wanted her to be a part of his world. Truth be told, she sincerely doubted the people here would let her live after everything she had done to them. There was too much blood on her hands.

She wasn't going to blame Dillon if things went south. No matter how much he tried, it was entirely possible that he wouldn't be able to save her, but if he was safe, she could handle dying.

The door opening brought her out of her thoughts. Was it time?

"I'm here to speak to Annie Leonhart," a familiar voice informed the guards. "Alone."

"Do you have clearance?" the guard questioned.

There was a rustling of papers. "Right here."

A pause ensued, but the guards nodded, exiting the block just as Jean came into view.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up," Annie said, lifting herself into a sitting position.

"Then you know why I'm here," he replied stiffly, crossing his arms.

She looked away. "…Jean, I didn't want to kill Marco."

"I don't give a damn what you wanted, Annie," Jean spat. "I want to know what happened."

She sighed, wishing that she didn't have to do this to him. "If I tell you what happened, you can't tell anyone. My…teammates were in on it."

"The other Titan Shifters," he concluded.

"I can't let word get to them that we know who they are, and that I switched sides," she explained. "If they find out too soon, if some idiot decides to start blabbing it out, they're going to make their move sooner." Annie looked at him dead in the eyes. "Promise me you will not repeat anything I say to anyone for now."

Jean paused for a moment, mulling it over, before nodding. "All right. I won't say anything. Who else was responsible?"

"…Reiner and Bertholdt," she answered at last. "The Armored and Colossal Titans respectively."

He stared at her with wide eyes. "It's them!? They're the ones that started this whole, damn thing!?"

Annie nodded solemnly. "For now, I won't go into details about our mission. It's a long story that I'm only going to tell once if I can help it."

Jean had so many questions by that revelation alone, but he didn't have a lot of time in the first place. "Fine. Tell me what happened in Trost."

She closed her eyes, ready to confess. "It happened while Eren was carrying the boulder. Reiner and Bertholdt were trying to adjust the plan in response to the new Titan, but Marco overheard them. I wasn't there initially, but I arrived as Reiner pinned him down on the roof…"

* * *

 _Annie landed right in front of them, flabbergasted by what was happening. Reiner had a knee in Marco's back, and he was trying to keep him from screaming for help._ No, please don't tell me. _She prayed inwardly._

" _Annie! Save me!" Marco begged, panicking._

" _What the hell is going on!?" she demanded, glaring at Reiner._

" _Reiner's gone nuts!" Marco explained. "Please, help me!"_

" _He overheard us," Reiner revealed in a monotone. "He can't be allowed to live."_

 _Annie clenched her fists, furious. "You son of a bitch! What the hell were you doing, talking about it in the open!?"_

 _Marco stopped struggling for a moment, unable to believe that she was in on this whole thing. It couldn't be true._

" _Reiner!" Bertholdt exclaimed, interrupting them. "There's a Titan coming this way!"_

 _Thinking fast, Reiner brought his arms under Marco's, holding him in place. "Annie, take off his ODM gear!"_

 _Annie staggered back. "What!?"_

" _Do it! Hurry!" he ordered._

" _Reiner, we can talk this through with him!" she shot back. "There's no need to-!"_

" _What the hell is wrong with you!?" Reiner roared, eyes blazing with fury. "Why are you trying to save him!?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You've started feeling compassion for this evil race, haven't you?"_

 _For once, Annie was unable to come up with a response. "I…"_

 _Even Bertholdt was angry. "It's Amsdale, isn't it? He's been turning you against us!"_

" _Leave him out of this!" she snarled. "He has nothing to do with this!"_

" _He has_ everything _to do with this, Annie!" Reiner growled. "He's not a source of information for you like you claimed! You actually love him!"_

 _She shook her head. "That's not true!"_

" _Then why did you break my nose when I tried to kill him!?" Bertholdt questioned. "And don't give me the 'he's necessary to your plans' bullshit!"_

" _Enough, both of you!" she yelled, putting a hand on her sword. "You've gone too far!"_

" _Annie…if you don't take off his gear…I will make it my mission in life to kill Dillon," Reiner threatened in a low tone._

 _It was like time came to a complete stop. "…What did you say?" Annie asked, feeling burning rage rising within her. They were threatening to kill him? If they so much as pulled off a hair from his head…_

" _Make your choice, Annie," Reiner said. "Either you kill Marco, or we kill Dillon."_

 _Annie was visibly shaking, she was so mad. She wanted nothing more than to kill them at this very moment. Hell, she could already envision herself splattering their bodies across the ground. Unfortunately, she knew that Reiner and Bertholdt were more than a match for her, and all attacking them would accomplish was a three-way Titan battle and the complete destruction of Trost and its people._

" _I hate you…so much," she whispered, tears falling down her face._

 _Marco, who had been quiet until this point, finally spoke up, "Annie…it's gonna be okay." He knew exactly what choice she would make, and he wasn't going to try to protest anymore. He couldn't ask her to choose him over the man she loved._

" _Choose! Now!" Reiner shouted._

 _With a cry of anguish, Annie began unstrapping the gear from Marco. "I'm so sorry, Marco! Please…I never wanted this!"_

" _I know," he replied, feeling nothing but sympathy and compassion for her even as the tears fell from her own eyes. "I'm sorry I was too close to you guys."_

 _Closing her eyes, she completely removed the gear from his body completely and tossed it into a window. With that out of the way, Reiner slammed his foot on Marco's leg, breaking it and preventing him from escaping._

" _That should do it," the blond-haired man stated coldly over the sounds of his screams. "Let's go."_

 _Hoping that one day, the two of them would die horrible deaths, Annie took the skies with the Shifters following close behind. The three landed on a rooftop far enough away from the incoming Titan, but close enough that they could see Marco. They watched as the Titan picked his body from the rooftop. They watched as the Titan opened its jaw. They listened to Marco's dying screams as it bit him in half._

* * *

"…After that, I vowed to focus my attention on taking Eren and getting out of here," Annie finished, looking somber and upset. "I wanted nothing more to do with this mission."

Jean sighed, looking away. "So…Marco had to die so Dillon could live."

"Yes," she answered. "It was the only way to save him from them."

"…I get it," he finally said. "I really do, but…he was my friend, and you killed him."

"I'm not asking for forgiveness, Jean," Annie stated. "No one can ever forgive me for the things I've done. You deserved to know the reason why."

"…During the Expedition…when you caught Reiner…were you actually trying to kill him?" he wondered.

She shook her head. "No, he was simply carving Eren's location in my hand. Trust me, I really wanted to crush him, but…I was too focused on completing the mission."

"So, you were prepared to kill us, too," Jean said, remembering how close she was to doing that.

"I held back," Annie corrected. "I couldn't bring myself to kill you guys. If Armin didn't try to trick me, I would've just backhanded you with enough force to knock you out."

"Thanks, I guess," he muttered, doing his best to process the information. "Annie, it's gonna be a long time before I forgive you. Not just for Marco, but for everything you've done, but for what it's worth…I understand."

"Thank you, Jean," Annie whispered, preventing herself from shedding tears.

There was a sharp knock at the door. "Kirstein, get out of here! We're escorting her to the courtroom!"

He sighed, giving her a sympathetic look. "We'll try to back you up, but the odds are stacked against you."

"Jean…take care of Dillon if things go wrong," Annie requested.

He gave a nod before exiting the room. "I will."

"It's going to be okay," she told herself as the MPs reentered the room.

* * *

If there was one way to describe Dillon's current situation, it was like walking to his execution, which would probably happen if he lost. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of such thoughts. The day wasn't over yet, and the victor hadn't been declared. The time to fight was before him, and by God, he would fight to the bitter end.

"Keep moving!" the MP ordered, slapping his back with the rifle.

 _Assholes._ He thought with a sneer, but continued to move at the pace they wanted him to.

Soon, they opened the doors to the courthouse, shoving him inside. The last time he was here, he was part of the audience. Now, _he_ would be the one tried and judged. What a strange life he led. A quick look around revealed that instead of fear and curiosity, there was fear and anger upon their faces. If there was an obvious clue that the odds were stacked against him, that was it. He noticed quickly that his parents weren't present. He hoped that they were alright, and that he would get the chance to talk to them again.

He let out a sigh as they chained him to a pole next to Annie, who got here before he did. He was not looking forward to this. The Scouts were on his side, albeit reluctantly, but they still had to contend with the wrath of Humanity. He looked over to his girlfriend who looked as terrible as he did and asked quietly, "Are you all right?"

"How the hell do you think?" she whispered back.

Dillon rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Sorry for asking," he muttered.

Annie let out a sigh. "Just focus on the trial."

She was in that mood, and Dillon took it with a grain of salt.

In a few seconds, Zackley entered the courtroom and finally took his seat. "We are now in session to determine the fates of Annie Leonhart and Dillon Amsdale."

"Your honor," Erwin began. "Despite what has occurred during the Expedition and in Stohess, the Scouts would like to apply for custody of these two individuals."

"Explain yourself," Zackley ordered. Ever since those two incidents, Erwin had been on very thin ice with the high court and humanity. While he could remain commander of the Scout Regiment, he had to be very careful with anything he said.

He nodded. "As you know, Amsdale was already a Scout prior to the incident in question. His actions taken were against the orders of the Scouts; therefore, he should fall under our jurisdiction."

"And Annie Leonhart, also known as the Female Titan?" he added.

"While Leonhart is a member of the Military Police, she has harmed far more Scouts both during the Expedition and the Stohess operation," Erwin explained. "In addition, we have far more experience dealing with her type after our research into Eren Yeager."

"And how did that 'experience' help you during the Expedition?" Nile sneered, looking angrier than usual. "You can't contain her."

"Could do far better than your inexperienced band of fat pigs," Levi shot back.

"Commander Dok raises a fine point, Captain," Zackley reminded him. "The Expedition and Stohess have shown that the Scouts are woefully unprepared to deal with her. Prove to me otherwise."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "The fact that we took her down and that we have far more experience with wild Titans than any other branch doesn't speak for itself?"

"Your Honor, if I may?" Dillon interjected before this could get out of hand.

"Sure that's wise?" Annie asked quietly

It was too late as Zackley said, "Go ahead, Amsdale."

Clearing his throat, he began. "Your Honor, should the Scouts and Eren Yeager not be able to contain her, I will bring her down myself."

The people started murmuring in response to his declaration.

"And what could you do that the Scout Regiment can't?" Zackley questioned.

"My abilities give me the edge I need," he explained. "Even if Annie tries to stop me, I'm stronger than she is."

"There is also the matter of Eren Jaeger and both Ackermans," Erwin added.

 _Both?_ Dillon wondered. _There's another Ackerman?_

The commander-in-chief put his fingers to his chin in contemplation. "Hmm...could you do it, Amsdale? Could you sacrifice her for the sake of humanity should it come to that?"

"...Yes," Dillon answered. _But I would hate myself for the rest of my life._

" _Are you sure you could do it?"_ Annie asked.

" _What happened in the Expedition and Stohess were different scenarios,"_ he explained. _"_ _Now that I know who I would be up against, the mind link will come in handy. Not to mention one little fact."_

" _I'd rather not know,"_ she said.

" _It won't happen!"_ he stated firmly.

" _It might have to_ _,"_ Annie warned.

"Your Honor, he was willing to put himself in danger to try and prevent her rampage, and was able to talk her down, despite how misguided he was," Erwin continued.

"...I will consider it," Zackley assured before turning his attention to Nile. "Commander Dok, what is your proposal?"

"Your honor, the Scouts have proven themselves incapable of controlling one Titan Shifter, let alone two and a mind reader. After what occurred in Stohess, the Military Police would like to pursue charges of treason and the sentence that follows."

"For both?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Excuse me, Commander Dok, but what treasonous offense did I commit?" Dillon asked politely. _Might as well find out, so I know what to argue against._

"You mean aside from siding with a traitor to the crown and endangering the lives of those within Stohess?"

" _Don't be a smartass,"_ Annie growled with annoyance.

" _I'm not. There's a point,"_ he replied before addressing him. "I never sided with her, Commander. I went into that situation with the full intention of stopping her."

Armin raised his hand. "Your Honor, I can assure you that's exactly what happened."

The MP commander was already two steps ahead of them. "Your Honor, intentions mean nothing. The intention of the Scouts was to trap Leonhart and that almost failed, which resulted in useless and massive loss of life."

" _He has a point,"_ Annie pointed out.

"But that proves that Dillon Amsdale salvaged the situation when it was at its bleakest," Armin countered.

"Your honor are we allowing witnesses to run the trial now?" Nile questioned, clearly displeased.

"Be silent, Cadet," Zackley requested. "We will get to you in due time."

"Yes, sir," Armin replied, feeling a little cowed.

"Your Honor, I should also point out the reason Stohess happened in the first place," Nile stated.

"And that would be?" he asked.

"According to the mission report submitted by the Scouts, Amsdale faked his death so that Leonhart would not run. When he talked her down at the end of the Scouts' Operation, it proved that he could've done that from the start. Instead, he hid like a coward. Your Honor, you are looking at the man responsible for nearly 800 casualties, most of them civilians, in Stohess."

Dillon bowed his head, still grieved over the horrible loss of life as he felt the accusatory stares hit him. There was no denying the truth. It was his fault.

Jean glared at Nile as the murmurs started up again. There was little to no question as to whose side Dillon was on, but he knew what that commander was doing. By pinning the massacre in Stohess on him, he was making Zackley question whether Dillon could truly make the right decisions when it came to Annie. Was Dillon an asset or a hindrance?

"Your honor, it was my idea," Levi revealed suddenly.

"Then please explain the thought process behind the idea, Captain," Zackley requested, deciding to hear him out.

"Simple: If Leonhart thought that Amsdale, the only one who knew her secret, died before he could tell anyone, she wouldn't try to escape," the captain explained.

"But as Commander Dok stated, Amsdale could have confronted her himself from the start." Zackley was playing devil's advocate, but he wanted the explanation to be heard by the people.

"After what he experienced during the expedition, Your Honor," Hanji interjected, "we felt he was in no condition to do so."

"Could you clarify that?" he requested.

Dillon's eyes widened when he realized what they were about to unveil.

" _Dillon, it's going to be okay,"_ Annie promised.

Dillon let out a resigned sigh as they began to explain his lowest moment.

"He was broken, Your Honor," Hanji said bluntly. "The entire way home, he was wide eyed and silent. Even after we got him back, it took hours to get him to respond."

"I see...and when he did respond?" Zackley pressed.

"Only after I spoke to him," she answered. "He initially mistook me for the Female Titan."

"...Go on."

"He was wracked with survival's guilt. He tried to constantly deny the Female Titan's identity and refused to say it. But once I was able to convince him to tell me…he shattered."

Dillon closed his eyes, ready for the final blow.

"He broke down," Zackley said in a sympathetic tone.

"To the point we had to put him on watch," she stated.

Annie closed her eyes as she pictured his breakdown in her mind. It was a terrible thing imagine. It was just a reminded of how much she had hurt Dillon, and fueled her desire to make it right with him.

"Your Honor, what does this prove?" Nile asked.

"That Amsdale should be commended for his actions in Stohess," he answered. "As Cadet Arlert stated, he salvaged the situation despite his severe trauma."

 _He's trying to get Nile to drop the treason charge on me._ Dillon realized.

"All due respect, but this simply proves my point," he replied.

"The point being that he is still responsible for what happened?"

Nile nodded in response. "Precisely. They did not need to send that letter. Even if Cadet Amsdale was incapable of talking her down, does that mean no one was capable? Cadet Arlert? Cadet Yeager? Any of her other friends? Not to mention, this also proves that Cadet Amsdale is incapable of doing what it takes to eliminate her should she become a threat. The slightest bit of mental trauma, and he could easily revert."

Eren cleared his throat. "Um...if I may...I can answer the first part."

"I doubt you could," he muttered.

"Armin and I tried to talk her down, but she wouldn't listen to us," Eren explained. "She was dead-set on completing her mission."

"Dillon was the only one that meant more to her than her mission," Armin added. "We...we had no chance to talk it out."

Annie couldn't help but shake her head, and Nile caught it.

"Leonhart? Is that statement true?"

"…must I answer, Your Honor?" she asked softly.

"Yes," Zackley answered. "Is there a contradiction in those statements."

She sighed, knowing full well what this would do. "When I was approached, it was under false pretenses. The people I trusted had betrayed me. Had they approached me truthfully…it would have gone differently."

"...That is true, Your Honor," Armin agreed, cursing his stupidity. "When we tried talking her down, it was under a tense situation."

"You would be wise to not omit anything from your testimony next time," Zackley warned. "Consider this your only warning."

" _Are they_ trying _to get us killed?"_ Dillon wondered before it hit him. " _Wait a minute...we're not the only ones on trial. I think Nile's trying to dismantle the Scouting Regiment!"_

" _Makes sense,"_ Annie replied. _"This would be his chance."_

"You see, Your Honor? They can't even tell the full truth of the matter!" Nile exclaimed angrily.

"This is troubling," Zackley agreed. "Commander Erwin...while you accomplished what you set out to do, hundreds of lives were lost. Was this the only course of action, or did you not consider all possibilities?"

"We did not consider the possibility of her managing to transform during her capture," he admitted. "We thought that even if she did somehow manage it, we would have Eren. But he was unable to shift."

 _This is bad!_ Dillon thought, trying to keep it together.

Zackley raised an eyebrow. "Unable to shift? Explain."

Eren sighed. "Annie let me go in the Expedition when she had me dead to rights. I... I couldn't focus on doing my duty when I had that in mind."

Nile scoffed. "Even their supposed trump card didn't work!"

Dillon spared a look at Levi, who looked angrier than he had ever seen him, and for good reason. This whole thing was falling apart.

"I'm afraid that this doesn't bode well for you, Commander," Zackley said. "A failed Expedition, unable to consider Leonhart being able to shift when you caught her, Eren Yeager being unable to do his duty, and the ensuing brawl that caused collateral damage and death."

Nile immediately followed up on that. "Not only does this prove a pattern of constant failure, your honor, in numerous expeditions and excursions, but also one of neglect for the lives of their soldiers and the people inside these walls. From using one of their own as bait to being unable to catch Leonhart, in _both_ scenarios mind you, the Scouts have shown that despite their best intentions, they simply cannot do what they claim they are capable of. They claimed to be able to control Yeager, and yet HE is the reason for most of the destruction and loss of life in Stohess!"

Now, the murmurs slowly turned to loud accusations as the people started accusing the Scout Regiment for the lives lost in Stohess. The courtroom was turning into a chaotic debate. Jean, Armin, and Mikasa couldn't believe how quickly the situation turned against them. One moment, they were debating whether to let Dillon and Annie live, and now, humanity was against the Scout Regiment.

"Your Honor!" Dillon yelled over the noise. "I have something to say!"

Zackley slammed his hand repeatedly on the desk. "Order! Order in this court!"

In a few seconds, the masses quieted down.

"You may speak," he said.

" _Be careful."_

" _...No promises,"_ Dillon replied before giving Nile his full attention. "Commander Dok, do you believe that the best course of action is to execute us?"

"Perhaps not you," he admitted. "We could put your abilities to use, or study them to see how they work. The Female Titan? Yes."

 _She has a name._ "Let's say that you got what you wanted. Annie dead, and me used as however you see fit. What happens next?" he asked simply.

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, what next?"

"I mean, what will you do the next time there's a Titan attack?" Dillon elaborated.

"We have you, the two Ackermans, and Yeager," Nile answered.

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Really? You would use Eren, the one that, in your own words, is 'the reason for most of the destruction and loss of life in Stohess?' You said that the Scouts couldn't control him after all, so why would you risk lives on the off-chance he could be controlled?"

"Because then we can redirect his aggression towards the Titans," Nile countered, irritated. "Not towards our own people."

"What makes you think you can, Commander?" Dillon pressed. "And besides, if Eren could not beat the Female Titan, what chance does he have against the Colossal and Armored Titans? What are your plans on stopping them from wiping us out?"

"Certainly not going out and sacrificing human lives for nothing on a foolhardy quest to try and reclaim territory that has long been lost." Nile had lost his patience. "Your Honor, is the accused going to become a prosecutor? Am I on trial here? Did I miss that announcement?"

Dillon cursed his foolishness. He was in no position to try and strike back. For all intents and purposes, his status was the lowest in his room.

"To the point, Amsdale," Zackley requested.

Dillon took a deep breath. "The point is that this trial has focused on what has been lost and what could be lost instead of what could be gained. You have a Titan Shifter filled to the brim with information, answers that have sought since all of this started. She is in complete control over her Titan form, meaning she's the best chance you have of training Eren Yeager. You kill her, and you lose everything!"

"To Yeager's credit..." Nile began in response. "…his actions were not intentional. They were accidental, in the pursuit of the goal that was in the best interests of mankind. But the Female Titan, while she may have information, has proven herself more than willing to kill whoever gets in her way. And for what? Destroying us? You're saying that is someone we should allow to live? Someone who tried her hardest to doom us all?" He glared down at them. "And what of Amsdale? Her romantic partner? The one who kissed a Titan in public view! Can we truly trust his judgement?! Especially when he professes to love a woman who scarred him to the point that he was put on suicide watch?! Who killed his allies and friends?!"

"I have always fought for humanity's best interests!" Dillon shot back angrily, panting heavily. "I went along with the plan to fake my death because I believed that she was too dangerous, too...evil to ever be reasoned with. But...I was wrong. I came to Stohess to make it right with humanity, and Annie. The interests of the Scouting Regiment and mine intersected because we needed her alive. We need her to live so we can live. No more Shiganshinas, and no more Trosts. That's what I've always wanted."

"And we can accomplish that without her," he countered, crossing his arms. "What facts do you have to back up your claim that we need her?"

" _Dillon…you're not going to win this,"_ she said sadly.

" _There's one thing left, and if it doesn't work...it's over."_ "Do you know the identities of the Colossal and Armored Titans, the two Titans that started the wave of genocide?"

"No. But Leonhart does. Have you told no one, Leonhart?" Nile questioned.

"... one person, Your Honor," she confessed.

 _Gotta make this count._ "What she hasn't told us is their current plan. On top of that, who are the Titans? Where did they come from? How do we stop them? Who are the people that she's working for? Will they send other Titan Shifters? All important questions that will never be answered...if she's dead."

"We can get that information from the other two," Nile pointed out. "And with the lessons learned from the Female Titan, we can do what Commander Erwin has not, your honor, and capture them without incident. Leonhart, who did you tell?"

"…Cadet Jean Kirstein," she answered with a sigh.

"Your Honor, there you have it. We have one individual who knows the identities, and the other two have the information that Cadet Amsdale is claiming only Leonhart can give us. Everything we could get from her we can get elsewhere."

 _"It's too late, Dillon,"_ Annie stated. _"It's over for me."_

" _No...it can't end this way,"_ Dillon protested.

" _What can you do, Dillon?! He's right!"_

"Your Honor, with this information in mind, I again push for custody of Leonhart to be granted to the MPs for interrogation, study, and execution," Nile finished, looking to Zackley.

Erwin had no counter that would sway the people. Levi couldn't jump in there and beat the shit out of them, not like he did with Eren. And Hange couldn't make the argument for either of them, no matter how much she tried to think of a way to. The Scouts had nothing.

Dillon was beside himself. _"_ _Annie, please...we can't...give up. Not after everything we've been through."_

Annie let out a sad sigh. _"Zackley has made his decision. I don't need to be a mind reader to tell you that. Request a recess once he gives it. Give us one last moment together."_

Zackley sighed, wishing he didn't have to do this. "I have made my decision."

 _Told you._  
"Regarding Annie Leonhart, also known as the Female Titan…she is to be given to the custody of the Military Police, effective immediately."

"No," Dillon whispered, agonized. He lost. He failed her.

"Thank you, your honor," Nile said sincerely.

"And Amsdale, your honor?" Erwin asked. "He is our man."

"Because of the actions he took in Stohess, I will be dropping the treason charges against him. He is to placed back into your care until we get the situation with the Scout Regiment straightened out," he answered.

"Your Honor...I request permission for a recess," Dillon said.

Nile nodded. "The Military Police does not object at this time, Your Honor. Provided each is under armed guard."

"Is fifteen minutes enough time?" Zackley asked.

Dillon gave a slow nod.

"Request granted. Clear the conference room for the next fifteen minutes," Zackley ordered.

As a trio of MPs unshackled them for the moment, Dillon was lost in his world of misery. He tried so hard to convince Annie to stay and be an asset for humanity, but now…that decision led to her death. _What have I done?_

The two were ushered out of the courtroom traveling down a more public area. They could hear the whispers about them and feel the glares, that, if looks could kill, the two would be a big pile of ash. At this point, Dillon didn't care anymore. The Military Police won this day, and Annie would die. He felt like vomiting just thinking about it.

As the conference room opened, he was caught off guard by seeing his mom being escorted out of there and guarded by two MPs, one of them being Kyler. "Mom!"

"We'll talk later, Dillon," she assured quickly.

"Come on, let's go," the MP escorting him ordered, pushing Dillon into the conference room with Annie and closed the door. The other two MPs stood outside the door. "15 minutes. Make it count."

Dillon collapsed in his chair, looking despondent. "I just killed you."

"I was dead already," Annie informed.

Dillon looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "You trusted me...and I failed you."

"Dillon…don't..."

"Why did you surrender, Annie?" he asked. "You're smarter than I am. You probably knew this was gonna happen."

"Because I'm willing to sacrifice!" she answered firmly. "I was prepared to die so you could live! And that's exactly what's happening!"

Dillon looked away, feeling lower than ever.

"I don't blame you," she assured.

"For what?" he asked.

"Any of this."

He stood up and gently embraced Annie. "No matter what you've done...you were the best girl I could ever ask for."

"And you're far more than I deserve," she whispered, holding back her tears.

"...I-."

There was a loud knock at the door.

"Who is it?" the MP demanded.

"Captain Levi," the disturber answered.

Rolling his eyes, the guard opened the door. "Yes, Captain?"

"I'm here to escort Amsdale to the latrine for clean-up," he stated, glaring at him. "Commander wants him decent for the Scout tribunal."

 _You know, why don't you just put me in a stock while you're at it?_ Dillon gulped, slowly walking towards him. "Yes, sir."

"Enjoy the Scouts while you can, Captain," the MP taunted closing the door after them.

Levi let out a low growl, shoving Dillon forward.

"A fine mess we're all in," the blacksmith muttered.

"Mouth shut," Levi ordered.

Dillon sighed as he was shoved into the latrine. He turned around as he watched the captain lock the door. Locked doors and small, enclosed spaces did not usually mean well. He looked around and noticed the walls, the mirror, the two doors that led to the toilets, and the sink. Lots of hard surfaces. The first one he met was the mirror.

Dillon screamed in pain as the glass shards cut into his face. He turned around, giving the deadliest glare that he had ever given to Levi, which was amplified to his bleeding face. After everything he had gone through, after his girlfriend being sentenced to death, this asshole decided to keep bringing him lower by assaulting him in the bathroom. "Satisfied, Captain?"

"No," Levi replied, "but it will have to do for now…unless you feel like fighting back?"

"I'd love to break your nose right now, you prick, but the MPs are right outside the door," he stated.

"I told them to leave," he informed him, crossing his arms. "You're free to do as you like, but I will retaliate in kind."

Dillon sighed. "Not today, but expect me to challenge you sometime in the future." Taking a towel and soaking it with water, he began cleaning his facial wounds, wincing. "I doubt you care, but I am sorry for hurting your squad."

"You think I'm angry about a few bruises and scrapes?" Levi questioned.

"Why else would you smash my face into the mirror?" he wondered.

"It's a little taste of what you can expect."

"I see," Dillon replied, seeing that the cuts weren't as bad as he thought they were. "Punishment after the tribunal?"

The captain shook his head. "No. For when you and your girlfriend get back to base."

He gave him a surprised look. "You…have a plan?"

"Of course I do, though, were it up to me, I'd put you both on the whipping posts."

"Life's full of disappointments," Dillon snarked. "How do you plan on getting Annie a stay of execution?"

"We are going to try and convince Zackley that she is an asset beyond intelligence," Levi explained. "We simply need a way to prove it."

He shook his head. "We already tried that, but no one trusts her, and no one trusts us to stop her if she ever goes rogue."

"You don't have a personal relationship with Zackley, now, do you, brat?" Levi scoffed.

Dillon shrugged. "Fair enough. Zackley's a good man."

"And Erwin is confident he can win him over, so you need to shut up and strap yourself down."

He nodded in agreement. "I can do that. You never did answer my question as to what you were preparing me for, though."

Levi gave him a deadpan look. "Are you so naïve to believe no one will be upset after the stunt you pulled?"

Dillon rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Great. We're gonna be honorary targets."

He gestured to the broken mirror. "That's just to remind you that people out there want nothing less than your head on a platter."

He tossed the bloodied towel in the trashcan. "They try it, and they'll fail miserably."

"Necessary force only, Amsdale," Levi warned. "Anything more than that, and you'll be held responsible. Knock outs are acceptable. Broken bones are not."

 _Note to self: don't break bones._ "Yes, sir." He paused for a moment. "Captain…do you or Commander Erwin resent what I did in Stohess?"

"No. It resolved the situation. What I have is you going against orders. Speaking off…" Levi delivered a quick, sharp knee to his stomach, downing him. "…that's for disobeying orders and mouthing off to a superior."

Dillon coughed harshly, taking a moment to catch his breath. _At least he didn't break my ribs._ "Duly...noted. While I'm thinking about it, there are a couple of requests I have."

Levi crossed his arms. "You're in no position to make demands, but I'll consider them."

 _Hence the "request" part of that statement._ "Firstly, I would like to participate in whatever experiments Squad Leader Hanji has planned for Annie."

"You can observe. Nothing more," he stated in a tone that booked no argument.

He took a deep breath for the second request. "And secondly…I want Annie and I to share a room."

As expected, Levi sneered at him. "Why? So you two can screw like horny rabbits?"

Dillon shook his head. "No…because I want to be there for her at night."

He growled softly. "Fine, but let me make this absolutely clear: if I hear a single whimper or any other sound associated with you two having sex, I will break the door down and throw you two out the damn window faster than you can get it up."

Before Dillon could reply to that warning, there was a loud crash followed by a scream and a shattering window. "The hell?" he asked, using his powers to unlock the door and kicked it open. His eyes widened as he came upon a grisly scene.

There were three MPs lying on the ground, their throats slit, and the window next to them was shattered. There was one MP that was lying slumped against the wall, injured but breathing. He saw Annie on the other side of the corpses looking as shocked as he did.

"What the hell happened?!" Levi demanded, kneeling to his level.

"MP...killed them all," the survivor answered. "Took...took Carolyn."

Dillon's eyes widened in horror. "What?" _No, no! This can't be happening!_

He let out a bad cough. "Too fast...nothing we could do."

Gritting his teeth, Dillon started seeing red. He was about to lose Annie. He wasn't about to lose his mom. Before anyone could stop him, he jumped out the window, landing with bent knees and rolling to keep himself from breaking his legs. He paid no heed to the voices yelling his name as he spotted the kidnapper carrying his mom going into an alley and pursued her.

Levi growled. "I'm going with Amsdale! Get Leonhart to Zackley and explain what happened!"

"Yes, sir! Let's go, Titan!" the MP guarding Annie ordered, pushing her back in the courtroom.

Quickly, Levi dashed down the stairs. There was spare ODM gear nearby for emergencies in case a criminal escaped from this place, or in this case, a kidnapper. He wasn't about to let Carolyn fall victim to this.

For ten minutes, Dillon ran after the kidnapper, who he could tell was a she, throughout the streets of Stohess. She was trying to do everything she could to lose him. Ducking into alleys at a moment's notice, and even trying to disorient him by jumping into a large crowd, she was quick to try to lose her tail. However, he would not let up, being able to catch her tactics just in the nick of time.

He pursued her all the way to the ruined entrance of the Underground where Annie first transformed. They hadn't even begun to repair the houses and the holes she created in them. Flashing his eyes, he levitated a small piece of debris that hit the kidnapper right in the head, knocking her down.

"Let...my mom...go..." Dillon demanded, panting heavily.

To his surprise, the kidnapper stood up and turned around, revealing herself to be none other than Kyler, who was grinning. "Hi, Dillon. You don't look so good."

He staggered back in shock. "Kyler?"

"That's what they call me," she answered as she heard ODM gear approaching their location quickly. "Sounds like someone else is coming."

Levi landed next to Dillon, swords drawn. He was caught off guard by her identity, but he quickly composed himself. "Squad Leader Kyler, what are you doing?"

"Oh, just a simple of matter of kidnapping Carolyn," she replied simply, her voice slowly changing to one that sounded nothing like her.

"I can see that," he replied in an annoyed tone. "Why?"

That grin remained on her face. "Let's just say she's been long overdue for some justice." She kicked Carolyn's unconscious body back and drew her sword.

"Don't suppose you have any spare swords, do you?" he asked.

"Didn't have time to get any," Levi responded. "You've got powers. Use them."

Kyler chuckled. "All right. If you insist."

Suddenly, two blades were pulled out of Levi's ODM gear and pointed directly at their necks. No one was holding them as they were frozen in midair, inches away from their skin. A quick look at her blue eyes showed that they were glowing.

Levi was actually surprised by the current development, eyes wide as he looked down to the blade at his throat. "What the hell is this?!"

Dillon was at a complete loss for words. _Impossible!_

She chuckled, excited by their reactions. "Oh, I love this part! The fear, the confusion, wondering just what the hell is going on! It never gets old."

"She's exactly like you," Levi said with a glare.

"I noticed," Dillon growled. "She's not the real Kyler either."

"So, you two actually have something between your ears." "Kyler" chuckled again, pulling off the wig to reveal a ginger-haired woman. "My name's Elise, gentlemen, and I'll be Carolyn's executioner for the evening."

"...Why are you doing this?" Dillon questioned, trying to find some way to get a leg up on her.

She sighed mockingly. "Your mother's been a bad girl, Dillon. She must be punished. Surely you understand."

He glared at her. "No... I don't."

Elise raised her eyebrows. "You don't know? He never...?" She started laughing. "Oh, my God! Matthew never told his own son!? Oh, this is just beautiful! Ignorance really is bliss."

"What'd you do with the real Kyler?" Levi demanded with a clenched fist.

"Oh, she's home...resting...forever," she answered offhandedly.

"You killed her," Dillon snarled, his urge to kill her rising.

Elise shrugged. "Nothing personal. She was the only woman I could pass as."

Levi had a plan, but he needed her to lower her guard. "What did Carolyn do to you?"

"Hmm...I'll keep my mouth shut about that," she replied with a twinkle in her eye. "But, if you really want to know, ask Matthew about Project Psion. Fun story for all the kids."

"Project Psion? Stop speaking in riddles!" The captain despised it when people do that.

She waved him off, picking up Carolyn and hoisting her over her shoulder. "Good day, gentlemen. The swords will drop when I'm safely away."

"You're dead, you hear me!?" Dillon swore darkly.

"That's what they all say," Elise responded. "Before I kill them, that is."

"You won't get away," Levi warned. "Not forever."

"I look forward to the hunt, Captain," she said, backing up so she could continue watching them.

Dillon saw out of the corner of his eyes Levi reaching for a flare gun. He prepared to cover his ears if he was about to use what he thought he would use. His intuition was spot on as Levi lifted the flare gun and fired a loud, acoustic round.

Elise crumpled to the ground in pain, giving Dillon the opportunity to blast her away with his powers, making her drop Carolyn's unconscious body. This, in turn, caused the swords to fall, freeing them.

"Respectable job," Levi complemented.

"We need to be quick," Dillon stated.

He took his swords back and refreshed the blades, charging towards Elise. "Get your mother! I'll keep her busy!"

Nodding, Dillon launched a mental attack to disorient her while he went for his mother. Might as well give him a helping hand. However, Elise paid his mental attack no heed as she blocked the initial attack from Levi and went on the offense, driving him back. Her speed was excellent, but so was his as kicked her back in the gut, trying to cut off her hands. Elise's eyes glowed and she blasted Levi into and through one of the destroyed houses. As for Dillon, just as he was about to reach his mom, he screamed in pain as Elise launched her own mental attack, making him fall onto his stomach. He tried to ward her off, but her powers moved like snakes striking hard and fast. It even caused his nose to bleed.

"That's a real attack, little boy," Elise stated, levitating Carolyn back over to her shoulder.

Levi groaned as he shoved the fallen debris off his body, quickly getting up. He charged towards Elise, eyes burning with anger, but, once again, he and Dillon found themselves with the blades right back at their necks, or head, in Dillon's case, and Levi's flare gun tossed away.

"Nice try, but you can't stop me," she told them.

"Could in a fair fight," Levi growled. "But you hide behind your powers."

"Life's not fair, Levi," she reminded him. "Surely Isabel and Farlan taught you that."

His eyes narrowed slightly, that old wound flaring up for a moment. "What do you want with her?"

"I already told you, but you didn't-." She was cut off by an explosion in the distance.

Levi allowed a slight smirk. His backup plan was going to pay off.

"...Well played," Elise admitted.

"You won't get away," Dillon said, glaring up at her.

She looked back at the hole in the house she was going to jump and simply tossed Carolyn inside. "This should be fun."

"Fun?" he repeated as the rumble of running footsteps came towards them.

Elise just smirked evilly as she backed up closer to the hole, waiting for whichever Titan Shifter to make their appearance.

Said Titan was surprisingly Annie, who came sliding around the corner, literally steaming with rage. Zackley give her permission to pursue the kidnapper and rescue Elise on Levi's signal, provided she didn't cause collateral damage this time. Eyes fixed on Elise, she let out a growl, about to charge forward.

"Take another step and they're dead," Elise warned as two more blades went to Levi and Dillon. There was no getting out of that one.

Annie, reluctantly, planted her foot down, glaring at her with her teeth bared.

"Link us up, Dillon!" Elise ordered.

"No," he growled.

Another flash of her eyes and he groaned in pain. "Now."

Muttering obscenities about her under his breath, he established a mind link between Annie, Levi, and Elise. Now all of them could hear her.

"Annie, honey, love the redecorating you've done here!" Elise said, gesturing to the homes she stomped through trying to reach Eren. "Tell me, how many families did you crush trying to reach him?"

" _ **Who the hell are you!?"**_ Annie demanded, her hand tightening into a fist.

"Name's Elise," she introduced. "Word of advice: I would dump him as soon as you could. Corpses aren't that good in bed."

Annie let out another low growl and went to lunge for her.

She let out a sharp whistle, which stopped her dead in her tracks. "What did I just tell you? You're so poor at following directions. Maybe you really want these two dead. I can understand that."

" ** _What do you want!?"_** Annie roared.

"To kill the Amsdale family," she answered.

"Elise...you're making a big mistake," Dillon warned darkly.

She shook her head, backing up closer to the hole. "The only mistake I see in the brat lying on the ground."

He snorted. "Your insults mean nothing."

Elise looked up at the livid Titan, knowing exactly what nerves to strike. "You know, Annie, you've been a very bad Titan. I think I need to inform a beast about your failures soon."

Her eyes narrowed and she snarled. _**"**_ ** _How do you know him?!"_**

"Simple: I'm a Marleyan."

"The hell's a Marleyan?" Levi muttered, deciding to store that word away for later.

Annie let out a snort. **_"Figures."_**

Confidently, Elise leaned against the house. "Just think Annie, thanks to your actions, he might invite you over for dinner...just like your mom."

Pushed too far, the Female Titan let out a feral yell, eyes burning with fury. She lunged forward, covering the distance between her and Elise faster than Elise could react, and brought her fist down. Elise's eyes flashed and her fist stopped inches away from her, though it was taking a lot of mental capacity to hold her back.

"Strike a nerve, did I?" she asked through gritted teeth. "Here's another one." Once again, Dillon started screaming in pain. "Back. Off. Or he dies."

" _ **He dies, you do too!"**_ she shot back, pushing as hard as she could.

"Don't forget Levi," she grunted, bending backwards to keep the fist from hitting her. "I don't care what you do to me, but you'll lose your lover and Humanity's Strongest. Can you really do it, sacrifice them? If so...keep trying to kill me."

Annie wanted nothing more than to crush the little bitch beneath her fist, but she had the best leverage over her.

"…Let her go," Levi said, sounding not at all happy. "She's won this time."

Sighing, she pulled her fist back, releasing her.

Elise clapped her hands together. "A voice of reason at last! I'll see you all later. Count on it." With that, she jumped into the hole.

For about 20 seconds, the blades remained at Dillon and Levi's throats...and then they clattered to the ground.

"Damn it!" Dillon exclaimed, slamming his fist into the ground.

" _ **Dillon, you need to calm down,"**_ Annie urged, kneeling to his level.

"There's another person like me," he said with a shake of his head. "And my father knows something about it! Project Psion, what is that? And why does Elise want to kill Mom so badly!? None of this makes sense!" He could already imagine the horrible things Elise was going to do to her.

Gently, she scooped him up into her hands. _**"Dillon, listen! I know you're upset, but we're going to get her back. Count on it."**_

He spared a glance at her eyes, which he noticed contained compassion in them this time, and sighed, looking away quickly. "Fine. Let's get back to the courthouse before they miss us."

Nodding, Annie stood up, about to walk back, but she noticed Levi staring at the hole that Elise escaped in. _**"Captain?"**_

He didn't respond for a moment as he continued to look down the hole. He was going to retrieve Carolyn from the Underground and cut Elise's head off. The defense attorney had done so much for them, so it would only make sense for him to return the favor. Unfortunately, going after him now without planning would result in disaster, so he had to fall back for now. To make matters worse, he had to thank Elise for the next words that came out of his mouth.

"Congratulations, Leonhart. You're officially a Scout now," Levi said in a monotone as he took the skies.

* * *

 **AN: To those who wanted to see another person like Dillon and Matthew, be careful what you wish for.**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to get this one out.**

 **Antra, I'd love to speak to you regarding your feedback. If you have a way I can contact you, I'd appreciate the chance.**

* * *

Chapter 24: Project Psion

There were moments in life where everything seemed to go wrong. For Nile, the entire week was filled to the brim with those moments. Day 1, the Expedition that promised answers and a future ended with the greatest failure of the Scout Regiment. Day 3, Erwin's plan to capture Annie Leonhart turned into a Titan fight that leveled the city and killed hundreds of people. Day 6, a person with stronger abilities than either Amsdale infiltrated the Military Police, killed one of his finest squad leaders, and kidnapped Carolyn using said squad leader's identity. And thanks to that incident, Zackley gave the Scouts custody of the Female Titan, claiming that her abilities are going to be necessary to counter this woman's. After all that, nothing sounded more appealing than to go to a bar and get wasted, but there was still a job to do.

Nile had just arrived at Kyler's residence with a squad of investigators, ready to work. If the information he received was accurate, he would find her body somewhere in that house. Before they could break down the door, however, the clopping sound of a horse filled the air. Nile turned his head towards the sound and, unsurprisingly, it was Erwin, the last man he wanted to see for the rest of his life.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" he demanded angrily as the horse came to a halt.

Quickly, Erwin got off and tied it up with the others before approaching Nile, stopping only when rifles were aimed at his chest. He put up a hand to try and calm them, and spoke calmly himself. "I'm here to help you, Nile."

"This is a Military Police matter! Vacate the premises immediately!"

"This woman kidnapped a good friend of mine who happens to be the mother of one of my soldiers. I'm obligated to do everything in my power to retrieve her."

Nile was so close to giving in, so close to giving the order and ending Erwin's life once and for all, but deep down, he knew he was in way over his head… again. Erwin knew how to keep a cool head even in the most desperate of situations. The kind of situation they were in. Reluctantly, he sighed and waved his hand. "Stand down." Slowly, the soldiers did as they were ordered, Erwin moving to Nile once the weapons were away

"Is the door locked?"

"Yes. We were about to break it down," Nile explained. "Might take a few tries."

"May I?"

Sighing, he gestured for him to do what he had to do.

Erwin pulled back and kick down the door in one movement, which was surprising since it was thick oak.

 _Scouts. Always trying to one up everyone else._ "Fan out!" Nile ordered, stepping inside first. "Report anything you find."

The squad filed in, spreading out throughout the house, which was in such pristine condition that Nile thought even Levi would be proud to live here. However, as they searched, they found nothing out of the ordinary, clearing the rooms one by one. The two commanders, after clearing the other rooms, entered the bedroom. Finding it just as clean as the rest of the house, Nile couldn't help but feel that something was off. And even if he didn't show it, he knew Erwin felt it as well. As Erwin went inside the bathroom, Nile checked the closet and found a key hanging on a peg in the back.

"Erwin, I think I've got something!" he called out, taking the key off the peg and giving it a once over. "Why would she keep a spare key _inside_ her house?"

"I have a feeling the answer lies in this room," Erwin inferred, getting his own look at the key.

Nile looked around the room for a moment and then at the ground. There, he found what he was looking for: scratches. Something was dragged across it, like a piece of furniture. He followed the marks until they came to the bed. "Erwin, the bed," he stated, moving to one end to pick it up.

Erwin just moved next to it, planted his foot on it, and pushed it aside almost effortlessly. "No need to be gentle, Nile."

"How the hell are you that strong?" he muttered.

"Killing Titans."

Nile rolled his eyes, but dropped it. With the bed out of the way, they could clearly see a trapdoor. Using the key, he unlocked and opened it, immediately getting hit with a rush of freezing air and a familiar smell.

"Decomposing flesh," Erwin identified, eyes narrowed.

Pulling out his flintlock, Nile slowly descended the ladder with Erwin right behind him. Inside this basement was a freezer, the ice coating the walls and the floors giving it away. Instead of storing meat, the room stored a woman with frozen blood on her face and her mouth open in a scream.

"Oh, my God," he whispered, horrified.

"She hasn't been down here in months," Erwin noted.

The MP commander examined the wounds on her face. "These wounds. About a month ago, I heard reports from the Garrison about a couple of their men suffering wounds like this."

"Dillon Amsdale used his powers to incapacitate the cannoneers," Erwin explained. "The only connection between their injuries and Kyler's death is that the users share the same ability."

"If this is the real Kyler…how?" he asked angrily. "How could she have fooled everyone? How did I not see it?"

"Her mental abilities are unlike everything we've ever seen, Nile. She could have _easily_ fooled everyone."

Nile took a deep breath a let it out, summarizing the situation. "So... whoever this woman is infiltrated the Military Police and pretended to be Kyler to kidnap Carolyn. Why go through the charade? Why not just kidnap her on her way to work? Why spend months impersonating someone if all she wanted to do was take her?"

"That, I can't answer. It's highly possible that she's a spy."

"Like Leonhart?"

"Nile…" Erwin started, but he was cut off.

"How can you trust that that monster isn't playing you like Kyler?" Nile questioned, anger slowly rising.

"She was simply doing her job."

"She could still be doing it!"

"She isn't."

Nile snapped, grabbing Erwin and slamming him against the wall, eyes blazing with rage. "You know how many people died thanks to your plan? 354! My family was almost part of those casualties and it was by sheer dumb luck that the Titan brawl missed their house! But for you, death is just a statistic. You sacrifice people on whims, on chances. It's thanks to people like Leonhart that this woman, a friend and ally, is dead!"

Erwin remained calm, looking Nile dead in the eyes. "Every soldier and civilian that died this week is on me, Nile. I am not so callous as to ignore the damage I have wrought, but every soldier I sacrificed was for humanity's eventual freedom. And if you like, you can even pin this death on me, though this occurred months ago without anyone's knowledge." He sighed. "However, you are right. I have made many decisions that have cost lives. And I must live with the consequences of those actions. But let me ask you this: do you still believe in a life outside these walls?"

Nile's glare slowly softened as he let that question sink in. "It was a fool's dream...a dream I once believed in."

"One that requires sacrifice to be achieved…but it can be achieved."

Nile didn't say anything for a moment. He wanted the same thing Erwin wanted, but he believed it to be an impossibility. However, with Annie in their custody, maybe, just maybe…He glared at Erwin. "Let's get one thing clear: if you're wrong about Leonhart, if this is all just part of her plan and she stabs us in the back again, nothing you say will stop me from putting a bullet in you. This is your last chance, Erwin, and you'd better make it count."

"If she turns on us, I'll deliver you her head myself," Erwin swore.

Nile sighed, letting him go before staring at Kyler's corpse. "It used to be so simple," he said to himself. "And now…"

* * *

Matthew was in a bad mood, and it only got worse as the carriage escorted him to Scout Headquarters. When he found out his wife was kidnapped, he was more than prepared to charge into the Underground to retrieve her. However, Levi stopped him and demanded answers regarding who that Elise woman was and what is Project Psion. He wished this day had never come where he would have to divulge the truth, but lives were on the line. The time for secrets was over. He told Levi that he would explain everything, but he would speak to his son first. This was something that Dillon needed to hear alone.

Soon enough, the carriage came to a halt, prompting him to open the door and step out. He let out a deep breath to calm his nerves as Dillon and Annie exited their own carriage. His eyes narrowed at the side of the blonde girl. The moment it was revealed that she was the Female Titan, he wanted nothing more than to make her suffer for what she did to his son and what she did to humanity. Unfortunately, she was made into an important asset, and now he had to tolerate the fact that she was going to continue to live. Not to mention the fact that his son continued to remain by her side despite everything she had done.

 _Sounds familiar._ He thought to himself as Levi approached them.

"The conference room is empty," he informed them. "You three can have your revelation party in there, but when all's said and done, you two-." He glanced at Annie and Matthew. "-will report directly to me and explain what the hell's going on. Understand?"

"Yes, Captain," Annie answered.

"Got it," Matthew said.

"Good. Now get out of here."

The three headed inside the castle in silence, ignoring the looks from the other Scouts. It was clear that Dillon and Annie were going to be the least-liked soldiers in the Regiment, but that didn't concern them now. There were questions that needed to be answered, and by God, they were going to be answered today.

Once they inside and the door was shut, Matthew broke the silence. "I never wanted this day to come."

"You know her," Dillon stated with a glare.

"Yes, I do," he confirmed. "You have every right to be upset with me, Dillon, and you're going to be even more so when I tell you the truth."

"Then let's get this over with," he growled. "The sooner you talk, the sooner we can save Mom."

Matthew let out a sigh before sitting down in his chair, gesturing for Annie and Dillon to do the same. "Bear with me. This is a long story."

"We've got time," Dillon replied, both he and Annie taking seats next to each other.

"The first thing you need to know is that humanity isn't going extinct," he revealed.

Dillon's eyes widened so much, Matthew thought they were gonna pop. "What!?"

"Out there, millions upon millions of humans are thriving," Matthew explained. "This island is just a small population in comparison."

The young blacksmith couldn't find any words to say. Everything he ever believed regarding humanity's dwindling population was false. There were more humans out there.

"Don't get too excited," Annie finally spoke. "What's out there are humans that want to kill everyone here."

That snapped him out of it. "What!? Why!?"

Annie sighed. "There's a lot of ground to cover, so, if he doesn't mind, I'll deliver the history lesson. You're going to need a lot of context."

Matthew gave a single nod.

"About 1800 years ago, a woman named Ymir Fritz discovered what many called 'the source of all organic matter,' and before you ask, I have no idea what that is. No one does, or ever did except for her. All we know is that she used it to turn into the very first Titan, also known as the Founding Titan, and became the ruler of Eldia. History says she brought the Eldians into an era of prosperity and led many victorious battles against their enemies. However, the power did not make her immortal, so when her time came to die, she split her soul into nine pieces and divided them among nine people, many of them her descendants. They became the Nine Titan Shifters."

"When you say, 'the Nine Titan Shifters,'" Dillon interrupted, "does that mean there are only Nine Titan Shifters in existence?"

She shrugged. "Yes and no. Each Titan Shifter is unique with their own set of qualities and abilities. I'll explain the details and why it's yes and no later. Anyway, once the Nine Shifters came into being, they used their powers to conquer an empire that shared their continent, Marley, and subjugated them for 1700 years, deeming the Marleyans to be an inferior race."

"Wait…one hundred years ago," Dillon realized. "The history of our people only goes back that long. What happened?"

"The king of the Eldians, who was also a Titan Shifter, relocated the capital to the island of Paradis. That's when the Marleyans struck back. They managed to get seven Titan Shifters on their side and fought against the Eldians. The king of Eldia, however, rounded up the majority of the Eldians and created this city, protecting them from Marley and isolating themselves from the rest of the world."

"But why wouldn't we remember those things?" Dillon wondered. "Why wouldn't this be talked about?"

"The King at the time possessed the power of the Founding Titan, and, from what I've gathered, used its abilities to wipe the memories of the people here. No war, and no memories of the past would give him a chance to let his people start over apparently."

He snorted, unsure how to feel about that. "I'm guessing the Eldians that weren't brought here were subjugated by the Marleyans."

"That's right," Annie confirmed. "Eldians were placed in camps under Marley's rule and treated as second-class citizens. When the Eldians who were part of the war died out, the descendants of those Eldians were in a prime position to be controlled. In Marley, the Eldians within these Walls are an evil race that deserve to be exterminated. To make up for their sins, the Eldians in Marley have to serve the Marleyans."

"Like being soldiers sent on a mission to destroy us," Dillon stated, a little more coldly than he meant to.

She looked away, the guilt weighing heavily on her. "Unlike the others, I didn't believe in the cause to earn Marley's favor. I just-."

"Wanted to go home to your father," he interrupted, massaging his forehead. "Sorry."

"You're still angry," Annie said, holding his hand. "I get that, and I don't blame you. I know you're trying to get through this."

He just nodded and moved on. "So…did you try to take Eren because he was a Titan Shifter that was helping us?"

"Partially, but the other reason was what kind of Titan Shifter he is," she explained. "The Titan Shifter Marley craved to have was one called the Coordinate. In the right hands, the Coordinate could control all the Titans."

"…And Eren has that power?"

"Yes, as far as I know. He probably has more than one, I think. Regardless, if the Coordinate had gotten into Marley's hands, they could wipe this place out in a matter of weeks."

Dillon shuddered, thinking about if all the Titans operated under a single mindset against them.

"I think that's enough of the history lesson," Matthew cut in. "I know you have a lot of questions regarding everything you've learned, but you need to hear this now."

Reluctantly, he conceded to his point with a sigh. "Fine. Project Psion, I'm assuming, is connected to all of this."

"Yes," he responded. "Project Psion undertook a dream many Marleyans wanted to make a reality: to give humans the abilities of the Coordinate without needing the Coordinate itself."

Annie stared at him in surprise. "That's a bold objective."

Matthew shook his head as he reminisced his old life. "Don't really remember my parents growing up. Most of the time, I was alone and didn't make any friends. On and on, the teachers would preach Marley's greatness and Eldia's sins, but it just made me resent the Marleyans more."

"You weren't the only one," she muttered in agreement.

"Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to stop them. I was just a kid who was just trying not to get noticed. As I got older, I realized that I needed to do something useful or the Marleyans would have me killed, so I took a job working in a forge for about six years. Got pretty good at it if their complements were legit."

"Even back then, you were a blacksmith," Dillon noted. "What about fighting?"

"Every Eldian is permitted to learn to fight," Matthew said. "However, later in life, I stared teaching myself how to become more brutal, more lethal if someone were to attack me."

"Like Marleyans?" Annie asked.

He nodded. "Especially Marleyans. Sadly, that wasn't enough to stop them when they came for me. They arrested me on some falsified treason charge, ensuring that no one would help me. That's when they took me into that building… into that cage…"

* * *

 _"Get in there!" the guard ordered, shoving an 18-year-old Matthew inside his cell._

 _"I didn't do anything wrong!" he protested, rushing to the bars. "I swear I-!" He recoiled when the guard hit him in the face with a baton._

 _"Quit your whining," he snarled as he departed from the cell._

 _"I don't understand," he muttered to himself, trying to stay warm. There was a fresh bruise forming on his eye. "I didn't do anything wrong."_

 _"None of us did," came a voice from another corner in the cell block._

 _Matthew looked to the left of him and saw three other cells containing two men and a woman. They looked tired and a bit malnourished, indicating that they had been here longer. "Who are you... and where am I?"_

 _"My name's Elise," the woman introduced. "This is Jacob..." He pointed to the one with a scar going from his cheek to his jaw, the least friendly-looking of the bunch. "... and this is Atticus." She indicated the other man growing an unkempt beard. "As for where you are, this is a holding facility for lab rats."_

 _"You mean... for becoming Titan Shifters?" Matthew wondered._

" _Sorry, kid," Jacob replied. "You're not that lucky. We're Marleyans."_

 _Matthew tilted his head in confusion. "Marleyans? But…?"_

" _What, you thought every Marleyan was an Eldian-hating piece of shit?" he questioned._

" _Most of us were chosen for trying to promote further freedoms for Eldians." Atticus explained._

 _"The government didn't take kindly to that, so they put us in here for the glory of the empire, or some bullshit like that," Elise added._

 _"Why are we here?" Matthew questioned, trying to keep it together. "What do they want?"_

 _"Experiments. Catch the hell up," Jacob sneered._

 _"What experiments, damn it!?" Matthew demanded._

 _"Calm down, Eldian!" Elise ordered. "Keep shouting like that and you're gonna get worse than a baton tap. Trust me. We've all been when you are, and we all know what you're feeling, but you have to keep it together."_

 _Matthew sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration, though he was a little calmer. "What kind of experiments?"_

" _How much do you know about the Coordinate?" Atticus asked back._

 _"The greatest Titan Shifter of all that was taken from the Marleyan Kingdom," he answered. "I thought Jacob said that this didn't involve Titan Shifters."_

 _"It doesn't," Atticus said with a nod. "But that doesn't mean they don't want the same power."_

 _His eyes widened, a horrible thought occurred to him. "Are you implying...?"_

 _"They're trying to turn us into something like the Founding Titan," he confirmed,_

 _"But... how? That's impossible!" This was completely unreal._

 _Jacob snorted at that. "Not entirely. Otherwise they'd kill us and get it over with."_

 _They were interrupted by the sound of someone screaming in agony coming from the ceiling._

 _"What the hell!?" Matthew exclaimed, looking for the source of the noise. "Why are they screaming?"_

 _"They're being tickled and having pillow fights," Jacob said mockingly. "Why the hell do you think?"_

 _"No, I want to go home!" Matthew begged, trying to kick his cell door open. "Let me out! I don't want to be here!"_

 _"Matthew, no!" Elise urged, but it was too late._

 _The door slammed open and two guards armed in with batons came in, stalking towards Matthew's cell. They open the cell and stepped inside, blocking his escape. With savage brutality, they began assaulting him, slamming his head with their sticks. Quickly, his face became covered in bruises and blood before they moved down his body. After a precise strike on his groin, Matthew's body seized up, gasping for breath. Seeing that he was unable to get up and gasping for air, the guards left, slamming the door shut behind them._

 _Elise let out another sigh. "I tried to warn you."_

 _Jacob, meanwhile, had no sympathy for him. "That'll teach you to shut up."_

 _She turned to Atticus, shaking her head. "He's not going to last, is he?"_

 _"I doubt it."_

 _"Honestly, I can't blame him."_

 _"You know damn well shouting and bitching does nothing against armed, angry, Marleyan guards," Jacob growled._

" _And you have the scars to prove it," she shot back._

 _Jacob didn't give anything in response other than a grunt and just sat on his bed._

 _Elise decided to give Matthew something he needed. "Hey, Eldian...do you want to be free?"_

 _Slowly, he got off the ground and looked up at her. "What?"_

 _"I asked you if you want to be free one day," she repeated._

 _"...Yes..." he answered._

 _"If you want freedom, you must live," Elise told him. "We're going to escape one day, and I think you'll want to be there for that day."_

 _"H-How?" Matthew rasped out, coughing up blood._

 _"Wait for the opportune moment, and strike," she stated._

 _Slowly, he crawled onto his cot and stared at the ceiling. The idea of being free sounded so appealing right now, but he didn't know how they would obtain it. Still...he decided that maybe waiting would be a promising idea. "I'm Matthew."_

 _The bearded man nodded in response. "Good to meet you, Matthew."_

 _"Is... she right?" he asked._

 _"It's a pipe dream, Eldian. Don't get your hopes up." Jacob grunted as he got into his own cot._

 _"Work on survival first," Elise advised. "The rest will come later."_

 _Matthew grunted in pain, realizing that this would be his life now._

* * *

"It took me a long time to adjust, but my cell and the corridor we were in would be my home for two years," Matthew said.

"So... Elise wasn't always a psychopathic killer?" Annie asked.

He shook his head. "She was always there to help me when I needed help, more than the others. Jacob was a man hardened by his experiences, but he taught me how to tough things out, especially if the guards beat me. Atticus was quieter than the rest of us, but he always sought to gain as much information from our captors as he could. It was like having a family."

"The conditions you guys lived in," Dillon muttered, imagining just how awful life was for the Eldians across the sea.

"Marley's full of sick people," Matthew stated.

"Wasn't much better for us," Annie added.

"Yeah," he replied with a sigh.

"So... where does Mom fit into all this?" Dillon asked.

This was the part that he dreaded to explain, but now he had no choice. "Dillon...before I tell you...just know that...your mother and I love you and we wanted you to have the best life we could give you."

Now, the teen's suspicions increased. "Dad...why are you saying this?"

"She was part of it," Annie realized. "Part of the project."

His nod sealed it. "Yes. She was a scientist."

Dillon shook his head. "No, that's not funny, Dad."

"I'm telling you the truth," he replied sadly.

"Mom would never...she could never...be a part of a project like that."

"You think he'd lie about that?" Annie asked pointedly. "Now, of all times?"

"I'm sorry, Dillon, but your mother wasn't always the greatest lawyer the Eldians have ever seen," Matthew said, clearly pained to say it.

"She had to have been forced into this," Dillon protested, trying to cling onto any sort of hope that there was an explanation for her wrongdoings. "Maybe they threatened her family. That's what happened, right?"

"Dillon, stop living in denial," Annie stated sternly.

"Right, because he should be okay with it like he was with your little secret, right, Leonhart?" Matthew spat angrily.

"Elise took her for a reason. You give it to us and he's sitting here trying to convince himself it's not true. Unlike you, I'm not willing to let him live in denial and ignorance."

"Is that what was going through your mind when you destroyed him?" he snarled. "When his life meant nothing to you?"

She glared at the older man. "At least I told him straight up what would happen. I told him I had a secret, and I told him it was horrible. I told him I'd hurt him. You? You've lied to him all his life, and only tell him about it when your wife goes missing! If she hadn't been taken would you have ever told him?!"

"No, because, unlike you, my secret, at the time, wouldn't have resulted in his death."

She clenched her fist, trying to contain her anger. "Matthew, how about you get on with your story before I kick your damn teeth in and we leave to handle Elise ourselves?"

"Why don't you come a little closer so I can give you your own dental work, you little bitch?"

"Shut up, both of you!" Dillon interrupted, glaring at them. "You wanna hash this out? Fine, but I'm getting answers first!"

Matthew gave Annie a look of warning before turning to his son. "Two years into our imprisonment is when I met your mother. She was three months into the project at the time, but she was extremely intelligent. She brought life to the project, always optimistic about their chances." He would never forget that day…

* * *

 _Carolyn, taking a breath to contain her excitement, entered the last cell block. She had a good feeling about these people. Either that, or it was the coffee. "Good morning!"_

 _Groaning, Matthew sat up, a bit surprised at her presence. Most of the time, only the guards would enter the cells to deliver their food, water, and urinal buckets. "Who the hell are you?"_

 _"Carolyn Walters," she introduced, looking at her list. "Oh, you're the only Eldian here. Matthew Amsdale."_

 _"And I'm the king of Marley." Jacob snarked. "What do you want, lady?"_

 _"Jacob," Atticus warned before addressing her. "What is it you need, Miss Walters?"_

 _"I've come to inform you four that it's your turn," she announced._

 _"What, run out of people?" Elise questioned, crossing her arms._

 _"I'm not at liberty to say," Carolyn admitted. "However, I can say that we have been making great progress."_

 _"So that's what all the screaming is! Progress! That's great news!" Jacob said sarcastically._

 _"Well, we have to start somewhere," she explained._

 _"All due respect, but why us?" Atticus asked quietly_

 _"It's your turn," she repeated, locking eyes with Matthew. "We'll start with Mr. Amsdale."_

 _Atticus shook his head. "No, I meant, why are we here? All I did was disagree with a member of the senate regarding Eldians and their treatment." Perhaps there was a way for him to appeal to her humanity, he hoped._

 _"Let's see." Carolyn started scrolling through her notes before she found it. "Ah, yes. Here it is. You protested the treatment of Eldians, Miss Elise was found in a relationship with an Eldian, and Mr. Jacob was a member of the Eldian Restorationists! I think that covers it."_

 _Matthew started to chuckle darkly. "Of course. Why else would they put you with the 'inferior' race?"_

' _"Inferior' is a harsh word, Mr. Amsdale," Carolyn rebuked._

 _"Yet, you put us away for protecting or loving said race," Atticus mused_

 _"Sorry, Mr. Atticus. I don't make the rules." She snapped her fingers and three guards approached Matthew's cell. "You'll be happy to know that no matter what happens, you'll be doing your country proud, and, if things go well, make history."_

 _Two guards restrained Matthew while the third injected him with a fast-acting sedative. Within seconds, he was out cold, though not before Jacob had the last word._

 _"Don't give in, kid! Kick their asses soon as you can!"_

* * *

Dillon stayed silent, staring at the table for the longest time.

"Dillon...I know this is hard for you...and considering what you've been through already..." Matthew trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Dillon, if you don't want to hear this right now, we can wait," Annie assured.

"Keep going," he said in a low tone.

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.

"Keep. Going."

Matthew nodded and continued. "When I regained consciousness, I was strapped to a chair. They gave me three injections: one for my spine, one for my neck, and one for my head. In five minutes...I started losing it." He closed his eyes, remembering how out of control he was. "I was like a wild animal, thrashing around like that with blood pouring from my face.

"I'm guessing it was like that with the others," Annie said, imagining how horrible that must've been for them.

"The lucky ones before us died within minutes due to aneurysms," Matthew responded. "The others completely lost their sanity, screaming like feral creatures that needed to be put down. Sometimes, I can still hear them." He shuddered and sighed, knowing he needed to go on despite the pain of the memories. "They knocked me out and threw me back in my cell. When I regained consciousness...they had done it to my friends as well. For one week, we were bleeding, screaming, and most times crying. Hearing all those voices, feeling my entire body change, it was the worst thing I have ever felt."

* * *

 _"Gah!" Matthew shouted, clutching his head. "Gotta... make it... stop!"_

 _"I'll kill her!" Elise swore, blood pouring from eyes. "I'll rip that bitch to shreds!"_

 _"Both of you, shut up!" Jacob begged angrily. "I can't even focus without you all shouting!"_

 _"Can't... stop!" Matthew lamented._

 _Elise gritted her teeth in pain, trying to find some way to stop this madness, but she collapsed to the ground, writhing like she was having a seizure._

 _"Has to be… something to stop this!" Atticus shouted as he covered his head with his mattress, closing his bleeding eyes_

 _"Please... someone... help me," Matthew pleaded, falling to his knees in agony._

 _"Trying… to… fix it!" Jacob shouted. "Just shut up for a moment!"_

 _The three, feeling like they had nothing to lose at this point, grit their teeth and tried to bear it for as long as they could, allowing him to focus._

 _Jacob closed his eyes and grit his teeth, trying his damndest to fulfill what he had said. He was working through the pain as best he could as he delved into his own mind. Finding where the voices were coming from he focused his mind and tried to erect walls, almost like dams, to keep the sounds out. It took a dozen of them, and dozens of tries, but finally...silence._

 _"Jacob..." Elise felt like she was dying._

 _"I've got it!" he exclaimed. "The voices! They're gone!"_

 _"Well, great! Now you're free from it!" Atticus raged. "But we're still in absolute agony!"_

 _Matthew practically lunged at the bars. "Tell us how!" He begged pitifully, his tears mixing with the blood._

 _"Go into your mind and find where the voices are coming from. Wall those areas off!"_

 _Quickly, the three got to work. For ten minutes the three concentrated, trying to erect their own walls. It was tedious, long, and, of course, agonizing, but they managed to get it done. Exhausted, they collapsed on the floor or on their cots._

 _"Holy shit," Elise gasped, panting._

 _Jacob had collapsed to his knees, head leaning on the door. "Damn, that hurts..."_

 _"I can't feel the power at all now," Atticus noticed._

 _"You son of a bitch...you saved our lives," Matthew said, shaking his head._

 _"You're welcome," he muttered as he crawled into his cot._

 _Elise did the same thing, chuckling. "Once I get out of this bed, I'm gonna kiss you, Jake."_

 _"Do it and you're dead," he growled._

 _Matthew didn't know why, but he started to laugh._

 _Elise turned over on her stomach, looking at the Eldian with concern. "Oh, God, he's starting to break."_

 _He shook his head, grinning. "I'm just... happy, for once. We've survived the damn procedure, and we're Psions."_

 _Her eyes widened as she thought of the possibilities. "This... this could be our chance."_

 _Atticus shook his head. "Let's not get carried away. If we undo the blocks, the voices come back. And we can't use our powers with them in place right now."_

 _"I'm not about to stage a jailbreak right now," Elise assured. "Just...this is our first step towards freedom."_

 _Jacob looked at her incredulously. "You kidding? Once they realize we're not failures, they'll test us even further_

 _"Guys...there are possibilities now," Matthew reminded them calmly. "Let's just keep that in mind here on out."_

* * *

"For once, there was tangible hope in our lives. When we went to bed that night, we finally had a reason to look to the future. Unfortunately, in just a few days it all changed."

* * *

 _"But, sir, I don't understand," Carolyn protested to her superior privately. "I was under the impression we had been making great strides."_

 _"Are four successes and over three dozen failures really a 'great stride' doctor?" he asked with a stern look._

 _"That's still four successes!" she pointed out. "After all the people we've gone through, four people managed to pull it off! It worked!"_

 _"Four out of almost fifty."_

 _"Damn it, stop thinking about those failures!" she demanded. "All our hard work has paid off!"_

 _"And for what?" he questioned, picking up a clipboard. "You have a lowly Eldian. Then you have a disgraced member of the senate who committed treason. A teacher who decided to sleep with her Eldian janitor. And a noted_ _Marleyan_ _member of the Eldian Restoration movement."_

 _"Okay, maybe they're not the best successes, but if we figure out how they managed to do that, we can instruct Marleyans how to control themselves."_

 _"No. We have come to a consensus that the project is to be terminated and all subjects eliminated effective immediately."_

 _"You can't do this!" she protested. "History has been made! We don't need the damn Coordinate anymore. We don't need the Titans!"_

 _"You have no proof this will even work on standard Marleyans, much less defects like Eldians and the Titans. I'm sorry, doctor. But we will be pursuing the Warrior project."_

 _She clenched her fists, closing her eyes tightly trying to contain her emotions. "What about the data? It could still be valuable in the future."_

 _"The horse is dead, doctor."_

 _"...We were so close," she lamented. "Two years..."_

 _"Two years, and next to nothing to show for it. Meanwhile, the Warrior project is almost guaranteed to get results"_

 _Carolyn looked so defeated as she felt her dreams just vanish. "I'll go pack my things."_

 _"We would appreciate your help with the Titan shifters, Doctor," he offered._

 _"... Give me a few days to consider the offer... if that's all right."_

 _"Of course."_

 _With a nod, Carolyn marched down the stairs, her mind racing. They were terminating the project when it clearly succeeded. And now, the Marleyans were gonna go back to depending on those monsters to save them. It was madness and completely idiotic. To throw these successes away like they were nothing was the greatest mistake the powers-that-be could make, and she would not stand for it. She couldn't let all of them die._

 _Then, a plan started forming. She was going to save one of her successes before it was too late. She couldn't save all of them if she wanted to get out of Marley alive. They were going to brand her traitor, but it was too apparent that this was far more important than labels. She couldn't take Elise or Jacob, two people that swore to kill her when she had a chance. Atticus was too recognizable, but Matthew...was perfect. He was an Eldian, meaning that he already hated the Marleyan people, and she would give him what most Eldians craved: freedom. Her decision had been made._

 _Walking quickly, Carolyn entered the cell block, keys in hand, and opened Matthew's cell, rousing all four of them._

 _"Dr. Walters?" Matthew asked, groaning._

 _"The project has been terminated and all experiments are to be destroyed," she stated in a clipped tone._

 _"Oh, what a surprise," Jacob replied in a drawl tone._

 _"By experiments...?" Atticus asked to clarify._

 _"You," Carolyn answered, dragging Matthew out. "I can only guarantee one of you will survive."_

 _Elise shot out of her bed. "What did you say!?"_

 _"You can't be serious!" Jacob shouted_

 _"Unfortunately, I am."_

 _"Doc, don't," Matthew pleaded softly, still weak. "Still... a chance."_

 _"Sorry, Mr. Amsdale," she said sincerely, walking him towards the exit. "This is all I can do." She tossed the keys and managed to make it in Atticus's cell. "You three are on your own!"_

 _"You bitch!" Jacob shouted._

 _"You're leaving us to die, Doctor! You're better than that!" Atticus insisted._

 _"You're dead, Carolyn!" Elise swore, panting with rage. "I'm going to end you!"_

 _Without looking back, Carolyn dragged Matthew out, slamming the door behind her._

* * *

Matthew flinched and Annie grimaced when a nearby chair shattered into many pieces. They saw Dillon's eyes flashing for a moment before they receded back to their normal state.

"So... she ran with you, and you did nothing to stop her?" Annie asked cautiously.

"I tried...but I was too weak," he explained. "She knocked me out every time I resisted to keep me from doing anything about it. She took whatever valuables she had at home and then smuggled herself and I onto a ship heading for Paradis."

A look in Dillon's eyes showed that he was completely pissed off, but he didn't speak.

"Why was a ship going from Marley to Paradis in the first place?" Annie wondered.

"It was a scout ship that was heading to Paradis to check the lay of the land. We stowed away and when we were far enough away... we killed the people onboard. We used the supplies on the ship to survive the journey to the Walls, and I could use my powers by slowly removing the blocks. Being so far from society helped with that.

"Once we made it in, we slowly integrated ourselves into the cities. Carolyn researched as much as she could on what life was like in the Walls, and I started working so we could get food, water, and shelter. Another year later, Carolyn used her resources and intelligence to study up on law in a prestigious Academy within Wall Sina and I was given an opportunity to forge weapons for the military."

"I'm betting these resources were the valuables she had," Annie sneered. "Why not just bribe your way to the top like a couple of upstanding citizens?" She was making it no secret as to how she felt about this whole thing. "She actively chose, supported, and participated a project that killed at least 46 people. Or should I say subjects? Why humanize them, am I right?"

He glared at her. "You are in no position to judge, Leonhart."

"Of course, you loop it back to me," she snarled. "I did what I did because it was my mission. Carolyn just did it because 'she wanted to make history'! Cause she wanted to further science! Difference is, she doesn't give a damn about the lives she ruins whereas I do!"

"People change!" he shot back. "She knows what she did was wrong and she has to live with it for the rest of her life!"

"Well, it's not going to be much longer because you didn't think of the possibility that someone else might've survived. Now, she's going to kill you, Carolyn, and Dillon!"

"Don't pretend that you care about my son!" Matthew demanded with a raised voice, standing to his feet. Annie followed suit, glaring into his eyes as he stared into hers. "After everything you did to him, you have the audacity to claim that you love him!?"

Annie was getting real close to punching the man, as evidenced by her shaking fist. "I chose him in the end, and I know damn well what I did to him, so why don't you get off your high horse, you hypocrite, because you're responsible for this, whether you have the balls to admit it or-!"

"Enough!" Dillon shouted, getting their attention. When they turned their attention to him, he looked away. He was trying to keep calm in the situation, but it was a losing battle. "Enough."

"Dillon, calm down," Annie said quietly, moving back next to him and setting a hand on his shoulder. She could feel him shaking.

"I don't know how," he confessed, tears falling down his face.

"Deep breaths."

Dillon did as she said as she rubbed his back gently.

Matthew decided to speak again. "Dillon...I-."

"Please...go," Dillon requested quietly.

"...I'm sorry," he finished before walking out of the room, leaving the two alone.

Annie sighed. "Dillon, as much as I know you're angry with him- I'm quite pissed myself- he still loves you, and I know that he didn't want this to happen."

He snorted, but stayed quiet.

"What are you thinking right now?"

"...This week has sucked," he chuckled, though she could tell he was trying not to lose it.

"You can talk to me. You don't need to keep up the straight face."

He stood up suddenly, startling her, and began going on a rant. "I mean, it's bad enough that the one person I fell in love with just happened to be... The Female Titan. What are the freaking odds!?" He was starting to laugh. "But now, my 'wonderful' mom was a horrible scientist that didn't care about everyone that died in the Project and left three innocent people to die too, and my dad was a prisoner who didn't think that maybe, just maybe, this would come back and bite us all in our collective asses!" He was sounding more and more unhinged, which disturbed Annie. "I think I get it now! It's all a joke! The three people I love the most turn out to be the ones that have effectively destroyed my life and now there's a psycho who's going to kill us all, thus completing the process! It's all so hysterical, isn't it!? It's a joke!" With that statement, he sunk to the ground, his laughing slowly turning to sobbing.

She sighed and stood, moving and kneeling next to him and rubbing his shoulder.

"...It hurts so much," he cried.

"I know it does, Dillon."

He shook his head. "I'm a soldier. I'm supposed to be in control. I'm supposed to-."

"You're also human."

He sighed, trying to brush away his tears.

She moved in front of him and gently took his hands in hers.

"Annie, I..." He had no idea what to say.

She gently put her lips to his.

It caught him a little off guard, but he relaxed into it.

She pulled back and placed a hand on his cheek. "We'll get through this. It's not the end of the world."

"How? How is anyone supposed to deal with this, Annie?" he asked quietly. "It's...so much to take."

"I know it is. Trust me, I know." Annie hugged him tightly, letting him know that she was here. Dillon returned the gesture, burying his face into her shoulder as he continued letting it out. _We'll move past this Dillon._ Annie silently hoped… and prayed.

* * *

(Underground; Unknown location)

"Time to wake up, Carolyn."

A harsh slap caused her eyes to pop open as she stared at her kidnapper in shock. "E—Elise!"

"Aw, you do remember me," the Psion replied, grinning. "I'm touched."

Carolyn noticed they were in a prison cell unlike any she had ever seen before. Stone walls surrounded her with only a single door that led out. Save for a single candle, there wasn't a source of light in this place, not even a window. She was completely chained to the wall, giving her no opportunities to escape. "I'm guessing you're here to kill me."

"Very good, Carolyn." Elise praised before awarded her a punch to the gut. She shivered in what could only be described as ecstasy. "Damn, that feels good."

The lawyer let out a harsh cough, staring at her. "How did you escape?"

"Well, your little key toss bought us some time," she admitted, "but we had to battle a few guards to get out. It was kind of fun, all the blood and bodies… and then from there, we went into hiding. Didn't stay together, though." She smiled at the memories. "As the years went by and I started developing my abilities, I knew what needed to be done. Everyone in Project Psion had to die, so one by one, I killed them. Oh, you should've been there when I finally learned had to break someone's bones with my mind. It was a thing of beauty!"

"You're sick," Carolyn growled.

"And you're the last one," Elise informed her, grinning creepily. "Oh, I've been waiting for this day for a long time. Killing the bitch that made such an impact on my life."

"How long have you been pretending to be Kyler?"

"About four months," she answered flippantly. "Wasn't hard getting into the Interior, but I needed a cover. Lo and behold, not only was Kyler someone I could pass as, but she had a connection to you. It's like I was destined for this moment."

Carolyn glared at her. "Do whatever you want with me, but leave Matthew and Dillon alone."

She 'tsk'ed, shaking her head. "Afraid I can't do that, Carolyn. See, Matthew betrayed me by not killing you, and instead making you his wife. And Dillon happens to be half of you. Ergo, they should be punished, too." She shrugged as if to say, 'What can you do?'

"You won't kill them that easily," she swore.

"Please, if this morning was any indicator, I have nothing to worry about." She grabbed Carolyn by the throat, leaning in close enough she could feel her breath. "I'm not going to kill you right away, Carolyn. Oh, no, I have something special planned for you. See, as I went down the list of people, I've been discovering ways to make someone hurt. Breaking bones, tearing off fingers, and, my personal favorite, mind blasting." She traced her finger along her cheek, feeling the goosebumps rise on her skin. "Just think. You're finally at my complete mercy."

Carolyn responded by headbutting her in the face, making the Psion stagger back.

Elise wiped the blood off her nose and smiled. "Oh, Carolyn…you and I are going to have so much fun."

Her eyes flashed and Carolyn felt this horrible feeling of something biting her mind. She grunted in pain, struggling against the restraints, but there was nothing she could do to stop. Then, she felt her mind get set on fire, making her scream. Blood started to pour as she was lost in a world of hell, her mind viciously assaulted without ceasing.

The smile never left her tormentor's face.

* * *

 **AN: To be continued...**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Okay, I have a couple of things I would like to address.**

 **As you can see, I have cover art for this story now. This picture was created by schleeshins, a fantastic artist who completed this picture in only six days. I could not be prouder of how good of a job she did and I am so grateful for it. If you want to see it, go to DeviantArt and type in "A Blacksmith's Tale." It should be the very first picture you see. When you go over there, leave some nice comments for her. She deserves them for her hard work.**

 **Now, there is a matter I would like to address because I've gotten a few comments on it. Some of you were weirded out by the kissing scene between Dillon and the Female Titan. I understand why, and I won't hold it against you if you continue to feel that way. However, I feel obligated to inform you that there will be more moments like that, but I won't cross any lines.**

 **With that out of the way, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 25: Of Soldiers and Sadists

(The next day)

It wasn't uncommon for Levi to have trouble sleeping, but the previous night was a doozy. In just one conversation with Annie, everything had changed. Humans weren't going extinct, the other humans out there were trying to kill them, the Armored and Colossal Titans were hiding within the Scout Regiment, and there was going to be an attack on Wall Rose in just a few days. With all that in mind, it was impossible to get more than a few hours of shut-eye.

Having anticipated that Annie had allies within their ranks, Erwin had ordered a group of Scouts, including several cadets from the 104th, to be stationed at a Scout Outpost in the southern region of Wall Rose in civilian garb and no weapons. Considering how dangerous Reiner and Bertholdt were, trying to catch them or kill them now would be far too risky. It was better to prepare for the eventual attack and then take them down when they least expect it. Of course, they had this Beast Titan to worry about, a Titan Shifter even Annie admitted was stronger than her, but thanks to her letter to him, they had time to plan things out.

However, none of that was what made Levi lose so much sleep. It was one thing that he was told regarding the mindless Titans that sought to eat people: they were humans. Every Titan he killed was human. She had explained that only Eldians can become Titans and Titan Shifters, and Marleyans used this fact to give any Eldian who disobeyed them a fate worse than death. The only way they could become human again was if they devoured another Titan Shifter, explaining their instincts to eat humans.

Today, however, he couldn't dwell on these things anymore. He had to rescue Carolyn from a psychopathic bitch, and it would take all his focus to kill her. Despite how furious he was at Matthew and Carolyn, it didn't change the fact that Carolyn worked so hard to save innocent people and put corrupt officers behind bars. She still had his respect, and that wasn't going away anytime soon.

Shaking his head, Levi stepped into the room where his squad was waiting. They were still wounded from their scuffle with Dillon, but their recovery was going smoothly.

Petra instantly took notice of how exhausted he looked. "Captain, are you all right? You don't look well."

"I'll manage," he responded gruffly, sitting down and taking a sip of tea. "It's not every day your entire world gets shaken up."

"Yeah," Eld agreed quietly before moving onto what was more important. "So, what's the plan?"

Levi snorted. "The plan is get Underground, kill the bitch, and save Carolyn."

"We were hoping you could give us details," Eld amended.

"Why would I? None of you are going."

"What!?" Gunther exclaimed, shocked.

"You heard me," Levi replied, putting his cup down. "You three are staying here."

"Captain, if this is about our injuries-." Petra interjected.

"In the state you're in, ODM gear will damage your ribs further," he interrupted. "I won't waste time dealing with wounded soldiers. Not for this mission."

His squad was sufficiently silenced by those statements. Liabilities were the last thing he needed to deal with.

"What are your orders?" Eld asked.

"With Erwin in Wall Sina, I can't leave the Scouts here unattended," Levi stated. "I need you three to keep the peace until I get back. Eld, you'll be in charge."

'"Keep the peace?"' Gunther repeated, having an idea of what he really wanted them to do.

The captain sighed. Now was a good a time as any to address it. "Whether we like it or not, Annie Leonhart is part of our team. Her information and skills make her an asset. Therefore, she's under our protection."

"You think someone's gonna try and kill her?" Petra asked.

"Considering how many of our soldiers she killed, I'd be more surprised if no one tried to," he said. "The same goes for Amsdale. His actions in Stohess resulted in a mixed reception."

Gunther snorted. "That's an understatement."

"He disobeyed orders and acted foolishly," Levi stated. "Were it up to me, he'd be getting acquainted with the whipping post. That said, he managed to salvage a failing operation and gave us the opportunity to strike back at our enemies." On that, his squad could agree with him, though they still had a slight urge to kick his teeth in. He gave them all pointed looks. "I'm trusting that the three of you will not act out against Leonhart or Amsdale, or I will make you regret it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" they answered.

"Good. Keep an eye out for anyone who attempts something so stupid," he stated as he stood up.

"Captain," Petra interjected quietly. "…be careful."

"Take care of the brats while I'm gone," was all Levi said as he walked out.

"Think Leonhart's on the up and up?" Gunther asked, eyes narrowed.

"If she isn't, we'll take care of her," Eld swore.

"Agreed," Petra added.

Levi stepped outside to greet two of the four soldiers that would be his temporary squad: Marlena Geissler and Mandel Schwarz. Both spent quite some time in the Underground before enlisting and their hand-to-hand combat skills were exceptional, essential for this op. Like him, they were garbed in civilian clothing to blend in. The other two soldiers would be MPs that Nile handpicked for the job, though Levi would be grilling them. He wasn't going to trust random soldiers with a mission like this, especially ones from that branch.

"Sir!" the two exclaimed, saluting.

"At ease," Levi ordered. "We'll be meeting up with the Military Police at the underground entrance in the Capitol. It's likely that we'll be the only ones undertaking the mission. Are you two prepared for that?"

"Yes, sir," Marlena answered.

"Whatever it takes, sir," Mandel stated.

He nodded. "Good. Get ready to-."

"Captain Levi!"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Get ready to leave. I'll be a moment." He turned around to see Matthew walking towards him. "Don't even think about it, Amsdale."

"If you think that you're leaving me behind, think again," he growled, glaring at him. "She has my wife and I'm going to get her back."

"No, you won't," Levi stated, returning the glare. "This mission requires the best we've got, not some blacksmith who brought this on all of us."

"Don't be so petty, _Captain!_ You're going up against a Psion that could wipe you and your squad out. You need me."

Levi got close until they were nose-to-nose as he spoke quietly. "You know who needs you right now? Your son. He's already lost one parent to that bitch because you didn't have the spine to say anything sooner. Don't be so stupid as to make him lose another."

Matthew clenched his fist, but Levi had him there. He couldn't say with one hundred percent certainty that he could successfully kill Elise. Unlike her, he and Dillon never trained intensively with their powers. Just another regret to add to the ever-growing list. "And how can you be sure that you can get her back?"

"She has several weaknesses I can exploit," Levi explained. "That bitch isn't going to stop me."

"…You're doing all this for Carolyn?"

"I'm doing this because he's one of my Scouts," he stated, "and no matter how much you two screwed up, Carolyn doesn't deserve this."

The older Amsdale stared at him for the longest time before letting out a sigh. "You'd better live up to your title."

"I'll bring her back," he swore.

Nodding, Matthew departed from his presence, going to the training room to cool off.

Levi turned to the two Scouts. "Let's go hunting."

* * *

Rubbing his eyes to ward off his exhaustion, Dillon sat down at a table in the back of the room, eating quietly. So many things were going through his head right now, and he couldn't stop thinking about them. Everything he believed about his parents wasn't true; they weren't the people he thought they were. He didn't doubt that they still loved him, but that thought didn't bring him any comfort. There was a small part of him, a very small part, that believed his mom deserved what she was getting, but that wasn't true. No one deserved to be tortured by a psychopathic Psion. At least Captain Levi was going to retrieve her...hopefully.

He spared a glance at the Scouts and noticed some of them shooting glares or mumbling about him and Annie under their breath. It wasn't a surprise that they still wanted him and Annie dead, though it was getting annoying. He had been keeping an eye out for anyone that was thinking about acting on their hatred for him, hence why he chose a table that allowed him to see everyone, but so far, no one was being that stupid. He had a feeling it was going to a long time before they moved on, though.

"Hey, Dillon," a familiar voice said, "these seats taken?"

He shook his head. "Go ahead."

Nodding, Jean and, surprisingly, Armin sat across from him.

"I'd be careful," Dillon warned. "Sitting at the same table a traitor is sitting at might not bode well for you."

"You're not a traitor," Armin stated. "You just need to give them time to move on."

"I won't hold my breath," Dillon replied, sipping from his mug.

"You look terrible," Jean commented bluntly. "Did you even sleep last night?"

"Sleeping hasn't been good to me lately," he explained. "My mind is still reeling over everything that happened, everything they told me."

Armin gave him a sympathetic look. "I can understand. They told us about Reiner and Bertholdt. Eren was furious. He looked up to them, especially to Reiner."

"Funny how the people we look up to turn out to be horrible people," he said bitterly.

"Not everyone is secretly a Titan Shifter or someone that committed a terrible crime," Armin pointed out.

Dillon sighed, massaging his forehead from the never-ceasing headache he had.

"You're not in this alone," Jean stated. "You've got allies, you've got friends, and you've got Annie." He smirked. "Even if you decided to have a make out session with the Female Titan."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he muttered.

"Granted, she's the only Titan that a nice set of lips, so-."

"Knock it off, Jean," Dillon interrupted, getting annoyed. "It was a one-time thing." He let out a sigh, deciding to change the subject. "So, do Eren and Mikasa still consider me the scum of humanity?"

"It's difficult for them to come to terms," Armin admitted. "They think Annie is getting off easy, and they think you're a fool for trying to defend her."

"Figured as much," he replied. "If I was in their shoes, I'd probably be thinking the same thing."

"They'll come around," he assured. "Annie has given us a chance to fight back. Once they realize that, they'll move on."

"Like I said, I won't hold my breath."

"Amsdale!"

Dillon looked up to see that it was Eld who called him. _Uh oh._ "Yes?"

"Come with me." It wasn't a request.

Sighing, the blacksmith stood up and walked out of the cafeteria. Eld led him to a room that consisted of Gunther and Petra. Once he was in, Eld closed the door behind him.

"Take a seat," Gunther stated.

Eying them carefully, Dillon sat in the nearest chair.

Petra answered his unasked question. "Calm down, Amsdale. Believe it or not, we're on your side."

He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Even after…?"

"After you disobeyed orders, attacked your superiors, and interfered with a military operation?" Eld finished with a glare, standing with the others.

Dillon looked away, a little embarrassed over their last meeting. "Yeah… sorry about that."

Petra sighed. "You did what you had to do, and it turned out you were right. In a way, we should be thankful."

"But that doesn't mean you get to lone-wolf it every time you disagree with our orders," Gunther pointed out. "From now on, you're a soldier of the Scout Regiment. Start acting like one."

"Yes, sir," he replied. "It won't happen again."

"Good," Eld said. "Report to the fields. Squad Leader Hanji is starting her experiments today. You'll be there to assist and observe. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. Is that all?"

Eld nodded, gesturing him to leave.

Relieved, Dillon made his way towards the fields.

* * *

Mikasa stared out the window, glowering at the blacksmith entering the forest. No doubt he was going to see Annie.

Annie. Just the mere thought of that bitch angered her. She killed so many people, almost ensured humanity's destruction, and yet, she was allowed to be free. She wasn't locked in a dungeon, or constantly chained to a wall to ensure she wouldn't kill anybody. No, she could share a room with her boyfriend. She could walk around as if she was one of the Scouts, one of them. She was _never_ one of them, and she never would be. All Mikasa wanted to do was cut her head off and rid the world of one of the most dangerous creatures she had ever face and finally bring justice to the slaughtered.

And then, there was Dillon. Oh, how he came to her defense so much in the courtroom. How desperate he was to prevent his traitorous girlfriend from being executed, and it was by sheer dumb luck he got his wish. Hell, it was thanks to him that she even had a trial in the first place.

It was because of Dillon that Annie was given the chance to live.

Her fingers curled into a fist. She knew what had to be done. All she had to do...was wait.

* * *

It was about a thirty-minute walk, but after going through the forest, he spotted Annie standing in the middle of the grassy fields. Perfect environment for shifting. "Waiting long?"

"Only been here for five minutes," Annie replied, turning around to face him. "You look-."

"Terrible, I know."

"And how many hours of sleep did you get?"

"I…don't know."

She let out a sigh. "I know it's hard for you to come to terms, but-."

Whatever advice she was going to give was interrupted by Hanji and her assistant, Moblit, riding towards their position.

"Sorry to keep you two waiting," she said, hopping off.

"It's fine," Dillon assured before indicating the man behind her. "Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Moblit. He's my assistant and chronicler."

Moblit just nodded, looking a little exasperated. Considering who he was the assistant of, that wasn't very surprising.

Hanji clapped her hands together. "Now, you both know why you're here, correct?"

"You want to learn more about Annie's Titan abilities and my ability to communicate with her while she's in Titan form _without_ dissection," Dillon answered, making the last part clear.

"Oh, come on, that was one threat!" Hanji shot back with a huff.

"Just wanted to make sure the standards were set," He huffed.

"Easy, Dillon," Annie interjected. "She already knows how stupid that was in the first place."

"Exact-hey!" Hanji growled. Clearing her throat and glaring at Annie, she continued. "Yes. You're correct. For starters, I'd like to study how you establish contact."

"That's more Dillon's thing," Annie responded.

"I have an ability that allows me to read minds, attack minds, search for certain memories, and establish a link between people that will allow us to communicate mentally." For now, Dillon decided to leave out the Project Psion stuff until later. That was the last thing he wanted to discuss.

"Ooh! Can you do this to anyone?" Hanji questioned, her assistant writing things down.

"Yes. Care for a demonstration?"

Hanji looked like she was gonna explode from the excitement. "Of course! What am I thinking now?!"

His eyes flashed as several thoughts came at him at once. He quickly narrowed it down to one thing that wasn't obvious. "Their bodies were light."

"Eeek!" she squealed excitedly, jumping from foot to foot. "Yes, yes, YES!" She grabbed Moblit, pushing him forward. "What is he thinking?!"

 _This won't win me any friends…but I don't care._ "I'm not paid enough for this."

"What?! Since when do you care about pay?!" she demanded, whipping him around and getting into his face.

"I didn't have to read his mind," Dillon whispered to Annie with a smirk.

Annie rolled her eyes before Hanji went to her and picked her up, holding her up to Dillon like a puppy. "And her?!"

He resisted the urge to laugh at the display and answered, "Put me down, or I'll break your wrist."

Hanji did so, too excited to acknowledge the threat. "Oh, this is so exciting!" She walked closer to Dillon, who instinctively stepped back as she fired off questions at a rapid rate. "How does it work?! Where'd you get these abilities?! What extent is there?!"

"I've, uh, always had them," he explained nervously. _How did she get so creepy so suddenly?_

Moblit gave him a sympathetic look as he continued taking notes.

"But how do they work?!" she pressed, sounding both desperate, yet about to explode with excitement. "Can you communicate with anyone?! What distances can you cover!? Can you do it with animals?"

At this point, she had him backed to a tree, his eyes wide with anxiety. "It, uh, works through concentration and, um, opening certain parts of the mind to allow for mental communication, so I can communicate with... everyone. As for the distance, I, uh, haven't been able to…figure that part out." _"_ _I can hear you laughing, Annie!"_

" _Well, do you blame me?"_ she asked with a smirk.

"And the animal bit?! You can communicate with Titans, yes!?"

"I haven't... tested it on Titans," he admitted. "Too busy trying not to get eaten and all."

"Interesting," Hanji said. "Might need to consider that." Her eyes landed on Annie.

"Is this the part where I shift?" she asked.

"If we're all ready," Hanji replied, looking pointedly at Dillon.

He gave a simple nod. "I'm ready. I'm going to do this."

Satisfied, Annie walked a short distance away. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to her mouth and bit down, lightning striking and initiating her shift.

This was the first time Dillon had ever seen a transformation up close, and it was incredible. Pieces of flesh formed on her, growing at an accelerated rate. Annie disappeared into the nape of the Female Titan and stood up to her full 14-meter height. Dillon couldn't help but shiver a little. It felt like yesterday when she was ready to kill him, and here she was, gigantic and imposing, and him, again being vulnerable.

 _She's not going to hurt you._ He told himself, keeping that thought hidden from her.

Hanji, however, had the complete opposite reaction. "Oh, my GOD, IT'S SO AMAZING!" she shouted like a schoolgirl. "Quick! What is she thinking?!"

"Find out yourself, Hanji." He established the mind link between her and Annie. "Go ahead, Annie."

" _ **Hello?"**_

Hanji's eyes and smile widened. "Oh, this is so cool!"

"How are you doing, Annie?" he asked.

" _ **Feels strange."**_

"Strange?" he asked, his concern overriding his fear for the moment.

" _ **Being back in this outside of adrenaline pumping situations,"**_ she explained.

" _I have a feeling it's about to get stranger,"_ he warned her mentally.

Right on cue, Hanji slowly started approaching her. "Can I…?"

Looking down at her, Annie let out a sigh. _**"Fine."**_

Needing no further prodding, the scientist embraced her leg tightly, grinning with pure joy. "This is the best day of my life!"

Moblit sighed, simply sketching out the Female Titan. He knew exactly what Hanji wanted at this point. Dillon just let out a chuckle. It was both adorable and hilarious.

 _ **"Quiet you,"**_ Annie demanded before turning her attention to Hanji. _**"Can you let go now?"**_

Doing as asked, Hanji stared at her hands as if they contained so much information. "Her warmth is just the right temperature. It isn't scalding and it feels so nice." Her manic chuckle did not help.

 _"You know I'm starting to get why you were so desperate to leave,"_ Dillon said, clearly uncomfortable.

 _ **"Still could if you want,"**_ Annie replied, though mostly in jest.

 _"I'll pass,"_ he said.

"What do you think, Dillon?" Hanji asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Her body. If I recall correctly, you touched her face in Stohess."

"Oh, well, it's…warm like you said," he responded, confused.

 _ **"Leg's free if you want a reminder,"**_ Annie offered with a smirk.

Eyes widening, he shook his head quickly, a faint blush coming onto his face. "Um…no thanks. I'm good."

"Anyways, crystallization! How does it work?" Hanji questioned, moving on

" ** _I use my high body temperature to change the structure of the carbon in my skin,"_** she answered. **_"I assume you want me to demonstrate?"_**

She nodded, indicating a tree. "First, I'd like you to cut through that tree. According to Eren, from what he could remember, you were able to do that."

" _ **Stand back."**_ Hardening her shin, Annie performed a spin kick at the base of the tree, cutting through it effortlessly.

Hanji was beside herself as the tree crashed to the ground, laughing excitedly. "Ooh, such power! Oh, we're going to have so much fun with you! Write that down!"

Rolling his eyes, Moblit jotted down the notes as fast as he could.

" _I think she has a crush on the Female Titan,"_ Dillon joked.

" _ **I'm leaning towards being disturbed than flattered,"**_ she said.

"There's something I want to try." Hanji pulled out a small crystal that looked exactly like Annie's.

"Where did you get that?" Dillon asked, surprised.

"In Stohess."

" _ **My crystal does dissipate save for small fragments like that,"**_ Annie stated. _**"Not quite sure why that is."**_

"Annie, could you harden your hand?" Hanji requested, tossing the fragment in her hand. "I want to see if this crystal can cut through it."

Shrugging, she lowered her massive hand as it crystallized.

Hanji gripped one of Annie's fingers to keep herself steady. "It's smooth," she commented before dragging the tip of the shard across her palm. It had no effect on her hand. "Not even a scratch."

Dillon stared in confusion. "That doesn't make sense. Diamonds can scratch diamonds, but the same idea doesn't apply here."

" _ **Mine is living crystal."**_

"So, the crystal loses its potency once it's not fused with you?" he asked.

"Makes sense," Hanji agreed, backing up and putting the shard back in her jacket. "With her heat keeping it in a constant state of arousal and movement, the crystal is constantly regenerating."

"I'm sorry, arousal?"

Annie gave him an amused look. **_"Not_** **that** ** _kind of arousal. It means the atoms are constantly moving instead of being stuck in place."_**

"Oh…that makes more sense." He looked away, his face reddening again.

She smirked. _**"What, did you think that I was in a constant state of-?"**_

"Moving on!" Dillon exclaimed suddenly, his discomfort off the charts.

"I think it's time to address the feminine appearance," Hanji stated.

"... Okay, why?" _Do I want to know where she's going with this?_

"Well, don't you think it's odd, Cadet Amsdale?"

"Well, all the Titan Shifters look... odd when you really think about it," he reasoned.

"I'm not referring to the exposed musculature," she said.

" _ **She's talking about my 'bombshell' body, Dillon,"**_ Annie elaborated.

"She has breasts, hips, and good-looking legs," Hanji added. "She looks like a woman, whereas most Titans look genderless."

"... I guess that is... strange," he admitted hesitantly, wondering what the heck was going on.

The Female Titan in question shrugged. **_"Don't ask me. I just inherited it."_**

"So, why do you call it a 'bombshell body?"' he asked her, confused about it.

" _ **Shattering and devastating."**_

"But wouldn't that mean all Titans are bombshells?" he wondered.

Moblit facepalmed. "I don't believe this."

Hanji seconded that opinion. "You don't find her the least bit attractive? Moblit! Is she attractive?!"

"Of course, Squad Leader," he replied.

Dillon stared at them, flabbergasted. "Wait, what!? Are you serious!?"

"She's a woman of a Titan, Amsdale!" She gestured to Annie. "Just look at her!"

He spared a glance at Annie and found her smirking down at him while she had a hand on her hip.

" _ **What, Titan eat your tongue?"**_ she teased.

" _Annie, you're not helping!"_ he stated firmly.

" _ **Oh, come on, Dillon. Don't you think I look good in this?"**_

"Well... I, uh, guess when you really think about it, there is a level of attractiveness to, uh, appreciate," he stuttered.

His mind went back to Stohess, back to that kiss. That feeling of her lips encasing his entire face, the warmth that he felt from her body, it was the most incredible thing he had ever felt. At that moment, he wanted those giant lips to kiss him again and feel that comforting warmth once more.

Snapping out of it, he backed up, glaring at all of them. "The hell are you all trying to do? Turn me into a deviant!?"

"Amsdale, take it easy," Moblit urged calmly. "I know it can be hard to believe sometimes, but she's trying to help you."

"Dillon, what scares you most about Annie?" Hanji asked

"... Her Titan form," he answered, feeling put on the spot right now.

" _ **So, what do you think would help?"**_ Annie added.

"... If my fear was replaced by attraction." He sounded so resigned when he said that.

Hanji nodded. "So, don't you think it'd be easier if you saw her as your girlfriend and not a Titan?"

"But... it's not... normal," he protested.

"Kid, there's nothing normal about Leonhart," Moblit pointed out bluntly. "Uh, no offense."

" _ **None taken,"**_ she assured.

Dillon couldn't believe what they were asking him to do. They _wanted_ him to find the Female Titan attractive, to have some of the thoughts that he was trying to push away.

Annie decided to take the lead this time as she kneeled to his level. **_"Dillon, look at me. Who do you see?"_**

Slowly, he looked at her face, though his nervousness and his fear remained. "I... "

" _ **What do you see?"**_ Even though she repeated the question, she was calm about it.

He found himself looking at her eyes, the same ones that he loved to look at. The ones that contained the love and compassion she had for him. "I see... you."

" _ **Exactly."**_

"But... you're a Titan right now," he said. "I shouldn't be thinking those things for your form."

"Kid, take the Titan aspect out of it," Moblit suggested.

Annie nodded in agreement. **_"Good advice."_**

"It's not like you've fallen in love with mindless, cannibalistic Titans," he added, giving a pointed look to Hanji.

"Hey! Sonny and Bean loved me!" she shot back.

"Sure, they did," he replied. "Now what do you see kid? A giant woman who has a thing for socially awkward psychics."

Dillon had no idea what to say, what to think. It made sense what they were all saying, but…it was so hard for him to let go of the past. How easily she dispatched his squad, how easily she made him feel weak.

"Why don't we move on to the final thing and call it a day?" Hanji suggested. "I want to clock your running speed."

" _ **All right."**_ She lowered her hand in front of Dillon. _**"Want to join me?"**_

Dillon almost opted out of it, but he could feel through the link that Annie wanted him to go with her, that she wanted time with him. "Okay," he said, stepping on.

"Head east until you reach a lake," Hanji instructed. "It's about two miles from here. We'll fire a red flare, and then, in ten seconds, run as fast as you can until you get back here."

She nodded, placing her boyfriend in her hair. _**"Just hang on and let me know if you feel like you're gonna fall."**_

"Uh, okay," he replied, gripping onto her hair. "I'm ready." _Hopefully._

" _ **You'll be fine,"**_ Annie assured as she started jogging east.

"Geez!" he exclaimed, clinging on even tighter.

" _ **Just relax and enjoy the ride,"**_ Annie said, going a little faster.

Dillon didn't talk for a moment, his anxiety through the roof. The hair was his only lifeline. One false move, one trip, and he would fly off. Not to mention the wind that resulted in her high speed was trying to make him fall.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths to lower his panic levels. As he continued to do so, the wind flying in his face became less of a danger and more of a thrill. It felt kind of... good. Slowly, his eyes opened, allowing himself to take in the view. This is how she saw the world as a Titan. She could see so much, tower over the small trees and abandoned buildings she passed. It was invigorating, and he couldn't help but be amazed.

Soon enough, Annie came sliding to a stop next to the lake.

"That was…something," Dillon commented.

She chuckled. _**"That's nothing. Wait until the return trip."**_

He gulped. "I can…hardly wait.

Annie gently took him off her head and lowered him in front of her face. _**"Dillon… I don't blame you for being apprehensive around me when I'm like this. What I did to you… it doesn't go away for a long time. I just want to help you heal. We all do."**_

Dillon let out a sigh, though he continued to avoid eye contact. "It's hard to move on."

" _ **I know, but I want you to look at me and answer this question: right now, do you see a Titan…or the woman that loves you?"**_

He finally looked into her eyes, preparing himself for whatever he would see.

The most vivid memory he had of her face was when she was ready to kill him back in Stohess. Now, though, her eyes were full of compassion and love for him. She gave him a warm smile that was a stark contrast to one she gave in that village.

"…The woman that loves me," Dillon answered.

Her smile widening, she planted her lips on his face.

He was taken aback by that, but he slowly relaxed into it, returning the kiss.

After a few seconds, she pulled back and gently pressed Dillon to her warm cheek to hug him. _**"I'm never going to hurt you like that again,"**_ she promised quietly.

The warmth was unbelievably soothing, prompting Dillon to calm down. "Thank you," he whispered back as he leaned into her embrace.

* * *

(Capitol City of Mitras)

Levi rarely visited the Capitol itself. The place was crawling with all the things he despised: spoiled citizens, noblemen that had people that catered to their every whim, and, of course, the Military Police that usually failed to uphold the oaths they swore. All in all, fighting Titans sounded more pleasant than taking a stroll down the Capitol, but the Underground was below the city, so he'd have to suck it up and deal with it.

He brought his horse to a halt in front of two MPs that wore civilian clothes, Gretchen Dohman and Erik Feldt. At least they were prepared. They awaited outside the Underground entrance, seemingly ready for this. He would be the judge of that.

"Captain Levi!" they greeted respectively, saluting.

"What are the orders your commander gave you?" he questioned immediately.

"To follow your orders without question, sir!" Erik answered.

"If I told you to sacrifice yourself for the good of the mission, would you do it?"

"We are prepared for that, sir," Gretchen replied.

Levi dismounted, sizing them up. "What have you got for me?"

"We talked to a few of our informants," Erik stated. "A woman matching Elise's description spent an hour in the local bar before heading north. Paid with gold coins for the good stuff. Other than that, there's been no sign of her."

 _She's celebrating._ Levi thought with narrowed eyes. "Then we need to move quickly. She could be anywhere." He motioned his Scouts to get off their horses, which they did. "You have the acoustic rounds?"

Gretchen nodded. "Guns loaded and prepped."

"Good. Follow me and stay close. All of you."

The four soldiers followed their captain as the descended down the broken steps. The bodies that were down here had been excavated and repairs were already underway. At least that was some sort of progress. For two hours, Levi led them deeper and deeper into the Underground. Any random person would've gotten lost in this maze, but Levi knew the Underground better than most people, considering he grew up there.

After a while, they exited the lantern-filled corridors and came upon the city. While it looked nice from above, a closer look revealed anything but. The people here were impoverished, sick, and dying all the time. The lack of sun made their bodies weak and pale. It was a constant struggle to survive and the lucky ones usually found themselves on the receiving end of a gun. The rest usually died slow and painful deaths due to starvation, thirst, or disease. Perfect place if someone wanted to hide.

"Keep your guard up," Levi warned, analyzing his surroundings carefully. "She could be anywhere."

"If we spot her?" Mandel asked.

"Do not engage until I give the signal," he responded. "Element of surprise is the key."

Mandel suddenly froze as there was a sickening sound of a blade piercing flesh. The soldiers turned to see him fall to the ground, a knife impaled in the back of his head.

"Get to cover!" Levi ordered, pushing past the panicking civilians.

The remainder of the squad followed him into an alley, drawing their guns.

"How the hell did we get compromised!?" Gretchen demanded, on the verge of panic.

"Compose yourself," Levi growled. "Ready the acoustic rounds. Geissler, see if you can spot her. She should be close by."

Gulping, Marlena peeked out from their cover, looking around. "I don't-." She started gasping for air as she felt something constrict her throat.

"Damn it!" The captain started pulling her deeper into the alley, trying to get her out of range of Elise's attack.

Unfortunately, there was a sickening snap and Marlena crumpled to the ground, her neck having been snapped.

Furthering the botched mission, he watched as Erik pulled out a knife and stab Gretchen to death. His eyes said it all: he wasn't doing it on his own volition. Levi ran towards him, but he brought his arm up and sliced his own neck, falling to the ground like the others.

Dead. All four soldiers snuffed out as if they were nothing in less than a minute. Levi clenched his fist, his fury threatening to boil over. This bitch was toying with him, and he would make her suffer for it.

A whistle caught his attention. Stepping out of the alley, he looked to his right and saw Elise waving at him from the inside of a run-down building. Seeing red, he charged forward and smashed the door open, turning the flimsy piece of wood into splinters. Spotting the stairs, he ran up them towards the spot he saw Elise at, but she wasn't in sight.

"Come out and fight me, you coward!" he demanded, readying his blades.

There was no response, but his instincts told him she was still here.

Slowly, he crept around the room, eying everything that could seem off. Due to how wrecked this place was, she could be hiding anywhere. Once he cleared the room, he started moving down the hallway, making sure he was listening to anything that sounded like breathing or furniture creaking.

A window shattered behind him, causing him to turn around, but there was nothing there. His eyes widened and before he could retaliate, he was smashed in the head by a piece of wood from behind. He stumbled forward, but he shook it off, whirling around to see the Psion herself tossing the broken piece of wood aside and pulling out her own sword. Growling, Levi sprinted forward, slashing away and forcing her on defense just like last time. She backed up, blocking quickly and barely dodging his attempt to gut her. He thrust his sword forward and she sidestepped, the weapon impaling in the wall. Before he could pull it out, she kicked him away, grabbing the sword and tossing it out the window.

While he wasn't used to using one sword, Levi quickly adapted as he blocked her attacks. He caught her wrist, restraining it. He tried to behead her, but she grabbed his wrist, both of them becoming locked in a wrestle match. Thinking fast, he pulled her down and headbutted her, sending her back. Quickly, he kept her on the retreat as he attacked her furiously. She was really good, but he was better. With all of his strength, he thrust his foot out, catching her in the gut. This time, he kicked her so hard that she crashed into and through the wooden railing, making her fall onto the first floor of the house.

Seizing the opportunity, Levi launched himself after her only for Elise to move out of the way and slam a wooden in chair into him. He stumbled, the sword falling out of his hand as Elise hit him twice in the head with the remains of the chair. He kicked it out of her hands before tackling her into the wall, damaging it. He aimed a punch at her face, but she moved it out of the way, his fist getting embedded in the wall. She delivered a well-placed knee to his crotch before punching him back. Levi fell to a single knee, gritting his teeth in pain. Humanity's Strongest notwithstanding, that hurt like hell.

Elise didn't give him time to recover as she kicked him in the face, sending him on his back. She tried for another kick, but he caught it and threw her back. Getting to his feet, he grabbed the fallen piece of chair and tossed it at her. She knocked it aside, but the distraction was enough for him to run at her, jump, and land a hard punch on her face. She stumbled back into the wall and when she faced him, a manic grin appeared on her face as blood poured from her nose.

"Having fun?" Elise asked.

Levi didn't answer as he charged.

Elise's eyes flashed as she slammed her fist into his gut. Levi gasped in serious pain as he felt his ribs crack. What the hell just happened? As he doubled over, Elise slammed her elbow in to his face before shoving him into the wall. He didn't have time to recover as she kicked him so hard he went into and through the wall. He tumbled into an alley, coughing and weakened from that attack. She played him…again!

"This is supposed to be Humanity's Strongest Soldier?" Elise questioned as she stepped outside, pinning him down with her foot right on his ribs. "Pathetic."

He growled and reached up to grab her ankle and toss her off, but there was an added weight to her. He could barely move it.

"You're a defiant one," she said. "I'll give you that."

He ignored her, continuing his efforts to get up.

"All right. Have it your way." She backed away from Levi, giving him the chance to stand up. "Let's go again."

He rolled over onto his front and pushed himself up, glaring at her with hate-filled eyes.

She grinned, getting into a fighting stance. "You managed to land a few good blows on me. Come on! You can do it!"

He got into his own fighting stance, getting ready to attack.

"And this is the part where you fail," Elise stated. With a snap of her fingers and a flash of her eyes, Levi's leg was broken.

He cried out briefly as he fell to the ground but he refused to give in. He got up slowly, and put all of his weight on his good leg.

"You may be a shit fighter, but you have willpower unlike anything you've ever seen," she complemented.

"Stop using your cowardly abilities... " he grunted. "…and I'll show you who the shit fighter is."

"Oh, you poor, pitiful man," she said in a condescending tone, approaching him. "Don't you see? You lost the moment you tried to fight me."

He brought his fist up and across her face. "That's what you get for getting close."

Her head snapped back... and she raised it back up, still grinning and with a bloodied lip now. "I like you!" She tossed him head first against the wall. "I mean, you have to do something to get me this impressed! Bravo!"

He groaned and pushed himself to get back to his feet, standing weakly.

"Let's test your willpower to the max, shall we?" Looking out of the alleyway, she noticed a boy slumped against the wall, clearly one of the homeless. Her eyes flashed and he was brought to her grip. "Hi there, sweetie. What's your name?"

"C-Corey... " the little boy stuttered.

Levi's eyes widened as he got into a fighting stance. "Let. Him. Go."

She kept the boy in a firm grip. "Corey, do you like games? I bet you do. We're gonna play a game. I'm the villain, he's the hero. He has three seconds to reach me. If he does, he wins. If he runs out of time... " She made sure Levi could see her sinister nature in all its glory. "... I win. Three, two…"

Planting all of his weight on his good foot, he crouched and pressed off as hard as he could, flying at her with an unnatural speed. No more people would die by her hand. He was going to kill her.

"…one. I win." Quick as a flash, she brought up a knife and sliced the boy's throat, splattering Levi's face with his blood.

His eyes widened before they narrowed and his face contorted into one of rage, roaring in anger as he tackled her to the wall.

Her eyes flashed again, and Levi was sent flying back. With her powers, she kept him pinned to the wall. "You killed that child, Levi."

"You did, you bitch!" he yelled.

"You followed me, Levi. You knew that I was far stronger than you, that I could kill anyone with just a thought. Your arrogance blinded you to see the truth, and that boy paid for it."

"You made the decision to use a child as a pawn," Levi growled. "Of course, it's easy for them to die when _you_ set them up as a human shield!"

She laughed. "Levi... do you think I needed a shield? Do you actually think I needed a boy to protect me from you?"

"If you let me go, you'd need more than a single person."

"It hurts when you can't save people, doesn't it? I can see it in your eyes. Do you wanna know why I killed that child? It hurt you far more than any broken limb could ever accomplish."

Levi let out a feral snarl and began pushing against her mental restraint, stepping forward slowly but surely. "Let's see how hurt you are when I'm through with you, you fucking bitch!" he shouted.

Elise had never felt greater happiness than this moment. "I can't believe it! I've beaten you, broken you, you failed to save a life in your condition... and you _still_ think you have a chance!?" With utter glee, she levitated him into the air and slammed him against the wall. And then she did again. And again. And again. And again. Finally, when the wall was cracked, she brought him down to his knees in a kneeling position.

Despite his pain, despite the blood, and despite the fact that he had severe head trauma, he was still coherent enough to keep resisting, pushing himself as hard as he could past to one foot.

She looked out the alleyway and grinned again. "Oh, she's so cute. Levi, I think we're ready for round 2."

Hearing this, he began pressing as hard as he could, the pain increasing more and more as the invisible bonds weighed on him.

"We can play the game and you take your chances or... you get on your knees and beg."

He gasped through his teeth at that. "Go to hell... " He managed to get out despite the utter agony his body was in.

"Does your pride mean more than a six-year-old girl's life, Levi? I'm not asking for money, I'm not asking for a blood oath. I want you to swallow your pride and beg for her life. Because if you take one more step, I will kill that girl. There will be no counting. Every step you take, another person dies. And I will keep going until you kneel. So... what's it going to be? Her life, or your pride?"

Levi had to stop and think to himself. He wanted to keep going. To kill her. But at the same time, he realized that every person she killed meant someone would lose what he lost: a friend, a brother, a sister. Family. And it was in this situation that he remembered the words that Erwin had spoken to him. _Don't regret._

He glared at her, baring his teeth. "I want so badly to kill you... " he muttered. But he gave in, hating unnecessary death more than her.

"I know you do," she said sweetly, "but we'll get through it together. Now, on. Your. Knees."

It took all of his willpower not to lash out at her as he slowly dropped to one knee.

"Both of them."

He growled loudly, making his displeasure very clear as he dropped to the other knee.

"Hands flat on the ground. You're halfway there."

"You said on my knees," Levi reminded her coldly. "I'm there."

"Fine. I can be flexible." With another flash of her eyes, he was on all fours. "Now, beg me to spare her."

He didn't want to do this. It went against every fiber of his being. But she was powerful, more so than he expected. Taking a deep breath, he let out coldly, "Please don't kill her."

"I don't think you understand how this works," Elise stated in an equally cold tone. "Begging is not cold and threatening. It is the very moment when you realize all other options have failed and the only way to go on is if you plead. Your words must have power! Imagine that it's your daughter I'm holding hostage and I'm the one who decides if she lives or die!" She lifted his head telekinetically. "Now drop the threatening expression, and _mean it_ or I will kill her!"

He glared at her for a moment before closing his eyes. Opening them, they were a lot softer. Taking a deep breath, he said in a shaky voice. "Please…don't kill her."

Elise smiled, satisfied. "You actually look like you're about to cry. Congratulations, Levi. You saved one life today." She circled around him like a vulture going in for the kill. "This is where you belong. On your knees and begging for mercy. Vulnerable... afraid... alone. You are just like everyone I've ever known: weak and pathetic. You can say that I'm a coward for using these powers, but they've opened my eyes to how low humanity really is on the totem pole. An army of us could take down all the Titans and you can only hide in your Walls." She knelt before his broken body. "You failed, Levi."

"You've gotten…what you came for…" he said weakly.

"So I have. Go home, Levi. Tell Dillon I'll be in touch and that the woman you came to save is under my... protection."

Another growl emitted from his throat as tried to stand from his position.

Elise started walking away, but not before delivering one last taunt. "I made you remember what fear feels like, Levi. Keep that in mind." Tapping her head, she left the alley.

"Go to hell," he repeated, standing once he was able to and moving slowly back the way he came. Never in his entire life had he failed so badly. And never in his life had he been so terrified.


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: I should probably explain myself as to why it's taking me so long to update with just two months ago, I was throwing chapters at you all practically every other day. I was following the anime for the most part, and the original scenes and changes were written months beforehand. Me being a perfectionist, I want this original arc to be as spectacular as I can. The major scenes were already written, and heavily rewritten at times, but the transitions and the small moments were not, and those are the moments that get me every single time. There won't be a set schedule, but I'll try to update as fast as I can with good quality chapters.**

 **Also, I should've mentioned this sooner, but the Clash of the Titans Arc is going to happen after this one, and I've got plans for that. ;)**

* * *

Chapter 26: Lux Talionis

 _47, 48, 49…50!_

Panting from the crunches, Dillon sat up, wiping the sweat off his forehead. After Annie brought him back, he spent the last thirty minutes training, trying to make up for lost time. He could not get sloppy now. Sloppiness could lead to his death, or worse, someone else's. Along with that, he had been practicing his levitational abilities, trying to see how much he could lift. He managed to lift a horse a couple of feet in the air before it became a strain on his mind and the horse started panicking. Of course, Eld calmly advised him not to pull that stunt again, especially on their horses.

However, the one thing he was concerned about was his mental defenses. Despite training with his father, they never really explored strengthening their minds because there was no need to. They were the only Psions, so what was the point? That question further proved how badly Matthew screwed up.

Dillon let out a sigh as he put his shirt back on. He had been avoiding his father ever since yesterday. He resented him so much for endangering not just him, but for endangering the people of the Walls. Currently, his father was taking some time to be alone in the forest, and Dillon would leave him to that for a while. He had a lot to think about.

Of course, the biggest problem that was on the forefront of his mind was the psychotic Psion. Since Elise was Marleyan, it was highly likely that after she was done with them. If left unhindered, she would go on to finish the job Annie failed to complete: capture Eren and ensure the Eldians' destruction. With how powerful she was, he wondered if there was even a way to kill Elise.

 _Acoustic rounds are one of her weaknesses._ He told himself. _It's very possible we can overwhelm her, which is probably what Levi is doing right now._

The door to the training room opened, prompting him to look up to see Mikasa, who had two swords attached to her back. He hadn't see her since she the trial and the last time they interacted, she had a knife to his throat. Judging by the look on her face and the fact she closed the door behind her, this was not a social chat.

"Mikasa," he greeted neutrally.

"Amsdale," she replied coldly, slowly approaching him.

"I was just about to leave," he stated, getting up to do just that.

Mikasa moved into his way, glaring at him. "Actually, your presence here saves me the trouble."

"The trouble of what?"

"Finding a sparring partner."

 _I'm sure that's all there is to it._ "Sorry, Mikasa. I have things I need to do." He tried to move past her, but he was shoved back.

"You have plenty of time," she growled, thrusting one of her swords into his hands.

He figured that she was going to vent her frustration and anger on him via training, so he thought maybe it was best if he humored her. Sighing, he took the weapon and pulled it out of its sheath. His eyes widened at the sight. "This is a real sword."

Mikasa didn't respond, lowering herself into a stance. Her eyes said it all: she was going to kill him.

Snorting, Dillon said, "I'm not doing this, Mi-."

Letting out a battle cry, Mikasa charged, going in for the kill.

Barely, he sidestepped her attack, blocking an attempted slash as she went by. He immediately made it his main objective to survive long enough to get out. Going up against Number 1 in the Training Academy was easier said than done.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" he demanded.

"Fight!" she roared, charging again.

Her speed was incredible, practically unnatural. There was so much strength that his own paled in comparison. He was forced back as he blocked her rapid attacks. Fortunately, he had the only edge that would work against her. Planting his feet, he managed to get her into a sword lock, giving him enough time to commence a mental attack. The more dazed she got, the more likely he'd be able to get away from her. Gritting her teeth in pain, Mikasa fought through it, pushing Dillon back. She angled her sword in such a way that she could slam her hilt onto his forehead, breaking the sword lock he got her into. He staggered back, dazed, but he quickly somersaulted by her, dodging an overhead strike.

 _How the hell is she so strong!?_ Dillon asked himself, wiping the blood off his face. "I get the feeling that this is about Annie."

"She killed _dozens_ of us!" she snarled, going at him again.

"I know that!" he shot back as he jumped backwards, avoiding a horizontal slash that would've sliced open his stomach. "I was there when it happened, Mikasa!"

"Then why are you defending her!?" Mikasa demanded.

"Same reason you would defend Eren if he was in Annie's position," he answered simply, getting ready to fight. "Because I love her."

"Then you're not just a traitor, but a complete fool!" Letting out an animalistic growl, she kicked a bench right at him.

Dillon rolled to the side, and was back on his feet just as Mikasa came for him. His eyes flashed as he launched a very quick attack on her mind. Her concentration was thrown off a bit, giving him a chance to sidestep her attack. This time, he was able to retaliate with a well-placed kick that sent her against the wall.

"That all you got?" Dillon taunted.

Mikasa's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare as she pulled herself away from the wall. "You think this is a game?"

"No," he replied, glaring. "Now, there are two ways this can end. One, you walk away and I won't bring this up to our superiors, or I take you down myself."

"You think you can beat me, Amsdale?" she questioned dangerously.

"If you attack me again, I can guarantee an answer," he warned, planting his feet.

Damning the consequences, Mikasa went for him again.

Dillon braced himself, blocking her initial attack, but this time, he was done playing defense. He pushed her back and started slashing at her quickly, intent on bringing her down. For a sliver of a moment, Mikasa was caught off guard by his ferocity, but she quickly brushed it off. She didn't think his abilities were strong enough to defeat her. She was immediately proven wrong as, when his eyes glowed, he launched a kick at her. She couldn't move in time, and was met with the unfortunate consequence when this kick caused her to fly across the room into the other wall. Mikasa couldn't help but let out a groan, but she was far from out.

"Last chance to walk away," Dillon stated, panting a bit. _Can't believe that worked._

"Not gonna happen."

He sighed. "You ask, I deliver."

The two reengaged, their swords clashing together with equal ferocity. Unfortunately, Dillon had to handicap himself. Despite being extremely pissed off at her, he couldn't allow himself to attack like his life depended on it, or he might kill or maim Mikasa. That only left one option: disarm her fast. Yet again, he went on the defensive, allowing the Oriental to gain ground. However, he sidestepped an overhead attack, which made her strike air, and slammed his hilt on the back of her head. Before she could retaliate, he brought his knee up, catching her in the face. When she crashed to the ground, she lost her grip on her sword. A flash of Dillon's eyes caused it to zoom away from her before she could get it back.

"That's enough out of you," Dillon stated, pointing his sword at her face. "Stand down."

 _"Dillon, are you all right?"_ Annie suddenly asked, having felt his anger and frustration through their bond.

His focus was thrown off from hearing her voice, giving Mikasa the chance to tackle him to the floor, her hand fastening around his sword arm. She repeatedly slammed his wrist into the hard ground until his hand was loosened enough for the sword to leave him. She tossed it aside and gave him a hard punch to the face.

 _"Damn it, Annie!"_ he swore, pulling Mikasa down by her collar and headbutting her off him. _"Little busy right now!"_

 _"With what?"_ she questioned.

Dillon quickly got to his feet, getting into his unarmed combat stance. _"Fighting Mikasa. She's trying to kill me!"_

 _"What!? Why the hell didn't you contact me!?"_ Annie demanded.

 _"Because I can handle it,"_ he answered just as he charged Mikasa. _"Quit distracting me!"_

Mikasa blocked his punch and attempted a leg sweep, and he jumped to dodge, she followed up with a ground base kick to his chest, sending him to the ground. Groaning, Dillon's eyes shot around. Spotting a weight knocked over in the scuffle, he picked it up with his powers and lobbed it at her. It hit her, making her stumble forward, giving ample time for Dillon to psychically propel himself into the air and perform a double dropkick. The force of the blow sent her crashing to the ground.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous explosion outside that shook the castle.

"Hiding behind your girlfriend?" Mikasa asked as she got back up.

"You think I need a shield for you?" he huffed, sliding back and quickly wiping his mouth to remove the blood.

 _ **"Dillon, move to the side wall!"**_ Annie ordered.

 _"Already there."_

Clenching her fist, Mikasa went to attack him when the entire back wall was punched with a crystallized hand. The blacksmith managed to evade it along with the stone bricks that were sent flying because of the punch, putting a telekinetic barrier that deflected the minor debris. Mikasa narrowly dodged the bricks and faced the giant hand with a glare.

 _ **"Link! Now!"**_ she demanded, pulling her hand back.

Immediately, he set it up.

 _ **"Mikasa, get away from him,"**_ the Female Titan ordered, lowering her head to the opening. _**"I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you keep trying to kill him!"**_

"You think you can order me around, you bitch?" Mikasa asked, looking like she was about to attack her. "You two deserve to-!"

She was cut off when Dillon slammed a stone brick into her skull from behind, making her fall to the ground. "Don't call her a bitch!"

Mikasa let out a pained groan as she held the back of her head.

He tilted his head in confusion. "Strange. Usually that would-."

Having enough of this, Annie quickly snatched her boyfriend and pulled him out of the destroyed training room. _**"Damn it, Dillon. What were you thinking!?"**_ she questioned.

"I had everything under control," he replied. "If you didn't try to contact me, then this would've been over sooner."

 _ **"It would've been over sooner if you used your head and told me about this from the start!"**_

"Leonhart!"

She turned to see Levi Squad nearby, swords drawn and glaring at her.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Eld demanded.

 _ **"Am I linked?"**_

"Yes," Dillon answered.

 _ **"Mikasa attempted to kill Dillon,"**_ Annie explained, glaring at said Ackerman. _**"I intervened and she's currently lying on the ground in pain."**_

Gunther grappled up into the new opening to the training room and immediately checked her. "Judging by the head wound, she's probably suffering a concussion."

"Gunther, get her to the medics," Eld ordered. "We'll file a report and deal with Ackerman later." He noticed more Scouts starting to come outside to check out the commotion. "Petra, help me get them back inside."

"I'm on it," she responded, ushering the growing crowd back in the castle.

"Probably should pay a visit to the medics myself," Dillon pointed out as Gunther escorted Mikasa to the medical center.

Her attention immediately returned to him. _**"Oh, no. You're not scurrying away after this stunt."**_

"Annie, you're making a big deal out of-."

 _ **"Finish that sentence and I'll throw you into that lake,"**_ she warned, glaring at him.

He rolled his eyes. "I could handle a black-haired nutcase."

 _ **"That 'black-haired nutcase' was top of our class for a reason, Dillon! She almost killed you, and you didn't bother to say anything! Who do you think the Scouts are going to side with after this? The unconscious woman in the medical center, or the known romantic partner of the Female Titan?"**_

Now, he glared back at her. "What else was I supposed to do? Send the message that I can't take care of myself, that I need people to protect me every time someone attacks?"

 _ **"You could've mind-blasted her into unconsciousness,"**_ she pointed out. _**"You forced the physical confrontation!"**_

"I had no choice!" he exclaimed, exasperated. "I tried, damn it, but she was stronger. She kept attacking my head to make sure I couldn't do anything to stop her on that front." He looked away. "I needed to be strong. I needed to fight her. I couldn't fail. Not again."

 _ **"…This is about Elise,"**_ Annie realized.

"You weren't there when she easily broke into my mind," Dillon said. "How she easily tore apart my defenses like they were nothing. I was weak against her. I can't be weak like that again if I'm ever isolated. I need to be ready."

Annie let out a sigh, her hardened features softening, before placing him back in the training room. _**"You don't like feeling vulnerable, especially against a superior opponent. I get that, but you can't have it in your mind that to overcome that, you have to do it alone. Trust me, it only makes things worse."**_

He looked away, feeling a bit guilty. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

 _ **"Look, I'm just glad you're all right,"**_ she said before she narrowed her eyes at him. _**"But I will kick your ass if you try to go 'lone wolf' on me again. Understand?"**_

He gulped. "Perfectly."

 _ **"Good. Get yourself patched up while I get out of this Titan. Two transformations within a short a period time taxes on my body."**_

"I can only imagine," Dillon said as he left. "See you in a bit."

 _ **"Stay out of trouble."**_ As she crystallized her fingers to cut herself out, she thought to herself. _I won't let you make the same mistakes I have._

* * *

(Medical center)

Eren was trying to decide what he felt more of as he stared at the bandaged up Mikasa: grief or rage. Of course, Dillon had to be responsible for this. Hell, many things that happened recently always seemed to circle back to him, and now, he hurt his friend, his family. The only family he had left.

"She doesn't have any broken bones, so she'll be fine," Armin noted.

"I'm gonna kill that prick," Eren swore, clenching his fists.

"Eren, don't," he warned. "It was self-defense and you know it. The only person that's to blame for Mikasa's condition is Mikasa."

The Shifter whirled around, glaring at him. "Why are you defending him, Armin? That idiot is protecting a traitor who deserves nothing less than a bullet in her head!"

"Eren, you know Dillon," he told him. "He's reckless, and sometimes, he's misguided, but he always does things with intention of doing the right thing. He was fighting for humanity when he was trying to get Annie to surrender. You know that. If his focus was solely on Annie, the two would have attempted to flee together, but they didn't. No one is ever going to condone her actions, not even Dillon, but because of her, we know so much now. We know far more about the world outside the Walls, the true nature of the Titans, and so much more."

Eren hated to admit it, but Armin was right. It was thanks to Annie that they had this knowledge and a relatively better chance at fighting against the Marleyans. However, Dillon was the one who convinced her to join them, meaning he had to thank him for the edges they had now. Still…

"She got off scot-free, Armin," he said, leaning against the wall. "She almost killed us all and now, she's an asset."

"…You have to let it go, Eren," Armin stated. "What Annie did to us will never go away. You don't have to forgive her, but we're all on the same side now. You and Mikasa can't treat her and Dillon like enemies anymore. After all, she's going to be training you soon."

He let out a frustrated grunt, annoyed by all of this. "This is all so wrong."

"Maybe you should talk to her," he suggested. "Settle things."

"No, because if I see her…I might just try and finish the job."

* * *

(Outside; the forest)

Peace and quiet were two things that weren't always easy to obtain living in Wall Sina, especially in Yarckel District. Now that Matthew got it, nothing sounded more appealing than returning to the city. At least he could have something that distracted him from the pain he was feeling. He kept telling himself that he made the right call, that letting Levi retrieve Carolyn was the best option. Still, he felt his doubt constantly gnawing at him, and for good reason. He truly believed Elise was stronger, and that once she engaged the captain and his squad, there would be a massacre.

 _If he doesn't return by the end of the night, I'll head into the Underground myself._ He swore as he returned to the castle.

Once he got back, he found a rather unusual sight. There was a Titan corpse decaying near Headquarters, and there was a hole in part of the building. When Matthew heard the transformation, he thought it was that weird scientist running some sort of experiment.

 _What the hell happened here?_ He wondered.

The pondering of this situation had to wait as his ears picked up the sound of horses heading for him. He looked to his right and saw two horses pulling a carriage. Instantly, he ran towards, prepared for the worst, and hoping for the best.

"Is my wife in there!?" he demanded once he got close enough.

The driver pulled the carriage to an abrupt halt. "Whoa, buddy! You can't just-!"

"It's alright, Driver," a familiar voice said from inside the carriage. "We can walk the rest of the way."

Unsure of what to expect, Matthew proceeded to the side of the carriage just as the door opened. Stepping out first was Commander Erwin, but when Captain Levi stepped out, Matthew was hit with the worst-case scenario, the one he feared. His body was battered, covered in bandages, and he was limping. He looked like he had been tossed around by a Titan.

The dread increased within Matthew as he dared to ask the question. "Where's my wife?"

"Not here," Levi answered, sounding exhausted and defeated. "My office. Get your son."

Clenching his fist, Matthew ran towards the castle. _I knew this would happen!_

* * *

(Levi's Office)

"We never had a chance," Levi stated, wincing from the pain as he sat down. "She wiped out the entire squad in less than a minute without even lifting a finger. She knew we were coming. Probably paid off some people in the Underground to warn her."

"And how did you escape?" Matthew questioned, trying to keep his voice even as he crossed his arms.

"I didn't. She released me after she was done with me. Told me to tell Dillon that she'll be seeing him soon." He sighed. "She's unlike anything I've ever seen. I know how to kill humans and Titans, but her…"

"I informed Nile of the situation after Levi received treatment for his injuries," Erwin added. "He believes that as long as Elise remains in the Underground, an extraction is out of the question."

Dillon looked away, a feeling of anger rising in him. "So, it was all for nothing." He growled.

Normally, Levi would snap at him for speaking to him that way, but with everything that happened, he decided to let it go. "We're going to kill her, and we're going to save Carolyn."

"And how well did that work out for you the first time you said that?" Matthew sneered.

"Dad-."

He ignored Dillon as he glared at Levi, whatever control he had before snapping. "I told you this would happen, _Captain,_ but you refused to listen! My wife is still her prisoner, and Elise is still out there!"

Levi didn't speak for a moment, but when he did, he didn't glare back. He just gave him a neutral expression. "What are you looking for, Matthew? Closure? An apology? Something that will make the pain you're feeling lessen? Can't give you any of that. If you think that you can stand a chance against the bitch, then please, by all available means, go for it."

Matthew let out a heavy sigh before coming to a decision. "I'm going to Yarckel to prepare. I should have a few things that can throw her off."

"I'm coming with you," Dillon said.

"No," he responded. "You're not strong enough to face her."

"Neither are you."

"I managed to get Carolyn and myself into the Walls years ago while fighting Titans," Matthew pointed out, sounding a little insulted. "Trust me. I can take her."

"I don't want to lose you, too!" he shot back. "Not now!"

"…This is my mess, Dillon," Matthew said sadly. "Not yours, not Annie's, and not the captain's. It's mine. The message may have been addressed to you, but it was meant to hurt me. Elise wants me to suffer by making me watch the people around me suffer. It's time to end that."

Dillon looked away, unable to come up with anything to say in response. All he could think about was how badly things were turning out.

"I'm coming back," he promised, putting his hands on his shoulders.

The young blacksmith looked away. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Then get ready," Erwin said coldly. "If you're going through with this, there's no time to waste."

"I'll say goodbye," Matthew assured as he exited the office.

"Idiot," Levi muttered.

Dillon had no retort for that as he stared at the closed door. First his mom, and now his father.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do at this point," Erwin said sadly. "I am sorry."

"…Am I dismissed?" he asked quietly.

"After you explain to me what the hell happened today," Levi replied.

Sighing, Dillon quickly brought the two up to speed regarding Mikasa trying to kill him, and Annie's intervention that resulted in the state the castle was in.

"You're lucky you survived your own stupidity, Amsdale," Levi stated once he was done. "You had allies, and you refused to call upon them because you had self-esteem issues. Pull a stunt like that again, and we'll see how much of a beating you'll need before you get your head out of your ass. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," he replied quietly.

"We will deal with Mikasa and ensure this doesn't happen again," Erwin promised. "In the meantime, you are confined to your quarters for the remainder of the day."

He nodded. "Yes, sir. Is there anything else?"

"You're dismissed," the captain replied with a wave.

Saluting, Dillon left the office, letting out a shaky breath. Whatever hope he had this morning was gone. Elise was still out there, his mom was still her prisoner, and his father was going to go on a suicide mission to try and retrieve her. He wondered how many days it would take before he became an orphan.

* * *

(That night)

As ordered, the Scouts formed a group outside the castle, muttering to themselves. They were a little confused at first as to why they were called out here at this time of night, but then they saw a wooden platform that was retrofitted with a post in the center, two chains with shackles hanging down from the top. It started becoming clear as to what was going on.

The fight between Dillon and Mikasa had spread to every Scout, and there were mixed responses. Some were impressed that the young Psion held his own and that Mikasa deserved what punishment she was going to get, and some wished that Mikasa had beat him to a pulp due to his relationship with Annie. Said Shifter was outside, too, but she stayed in the back. She didn't want to make a volatile situation worse.

"All of you, stand silent!" Erwin ordered loudly as he stood on top of the platform. "In accordance with martial law, this is a public flogging as punishment for endangering the life of fellow soldiers without remorse or thought for one's actions." Turning to his left, he shouted, "Bring out the prisoner!"

Two Scouts begrudgingly brought out Mikasa Ackerman, who was handcuffed to keep her from escaping.

"Eren Yeager! Step forward!" he commanded as one of his officers handed him a whip.

Slowly, Eren approached him, looking stone-faced.

Erwin stepped down before thrusting the whip into his hand and pushed him up the stairs. "Cadet Yeager will be the one to deliver the punishment! 10 lashes, delivered by leather whip!"

That caused a bit of commotion within the ranks.

"What, seriously?" Jean questioned, flabbergasted at seeing Eren being forced into this position.

"It's furthering the punishment," Armin explained quietly, though he wasn't happy about this situation either. "Mikasa brought this on Eren, and this will ensure she won't cause Eren the pain of hurting someone he loves."

"Silence!" Erwin ordered before facing the Shifter. "Cadet Yeager! You may begin when ready!"

Slowly, Eren faced him with a glare. "And if I refuse?"

"Then you will suffer the same punishment," Erwin answered coldly.

He looked like he was about to do just that, but surprisingly, the last person he expected intervened.

"Do it, Eren," Mikasa said quietly, her features hard.

He stared at her, shocked that she would say such a thing. "Mikasa…"

"Eren, I can take it," she insisted. "Just get it over with."

Eren stared at the whip in his hand, shaking. He couldn't believe that this was the situation he was in, where he had to hurt the person he cared for the most. There was no point in making a dire situation worse.

" _You have to let it go, Eren."_ Armin's words still rang in his head.

Shedding tears, Eren struck out with the whip right on her back, cutting open her uniform in the first blow. Mikasa let out a cry of pain, the whip cutting deep enough that she bled. She used the post to support her weight, breathing heavily. Looking back at Eren, she gave him a nod.

"Please forgive me," he cried as the next blow was struck.

Jean and Armin looked away, pained to see Eren whip his own sister.

With every cry and every crack of the whip, a part of Eren's soul was broken each time. He kept going, making Mikasa bleed increasingly, until he finally reached 9. Her back was so lacerated, he wanted to vomit at the sight of his actions. Taking a deep breath, he lashed out at Mikasa one final time.

"That's enough, Yeager!" Erwin shouted.

Panting heavily, Eren walked off the step, glaring at Erwin. He shoved the whip in his hands before leaving the premises, fuming.

"That is the punishment that awaits anyone who dares bring harm to Dillon Amsdale or Annie Leonhart!" Erwin stated. "As well as Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, or any of my officers. Are there any questions about my policy or the punishment? Speak now, or otherwise you agree to comply!"

No one spoke and just stared at the scene with grim looks.

"That is all! Return to your posts at once!" he shouted, sending them all scattering.

Now that that was over, Annie quickly headed straight for the room she and Dillon shared. Her anger long since died down in regard to his decision to fight Mikasa alone, and now, she was back to being concerned. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

Softly, she knocked on the door before entering it, and came upon the scene that she expected. Dillon was staring out the window, looking depressed and forlorn. He didn't even acknowledge that she entered the room. With a sigh, she closed the door and sat next to him.

"He's going to die…isn't he?" Dillon whispered.

"I don't know," Annie replied honestly.

He sighed, unable to think of anything to say. What could be said now?

"…I wish I could promise you that things are going to work out, but I can't," she said. "All I can say is that we will find a way to kill Elise. No one is invincible."

"How, Annie? She defeated Captain Levi and broke his body, and he's Humanity's Strongest Soldier. My dad and I are just a couple of Psions who never prepared for something like this."

"Dillon…I don't have the answers," she admitted. "Let's just…let's just go to bed and we'll focus on this in the morning."

"Right…let's do that."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

He kissed her back. "I love you, too."

They climbed into bed still wearing their civilian outfits. Dillon wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. She leaned into his embrace as the two tried to get some sleep. Overall, it was a very depressing night for both of them.

For three hours, despite closing his eyes, Dillon was unable to sleep. His mind was still reeling from everything that had happened, and it wouldn't leave him alone. The week continued to weigh heavily on him, and there was no letting up. Annie's affectionate gestures as the Female Titan helped him not be deathly afraid of her Titan form, though that trauma still remained. Of course, there was more that was troubling him, but he kept those thoughts to himself. After all, Annie had spoken her piece on it very clearly in Stohess, so there was no point in bringing it up.

As he felt himself slowly drift off at last, a faint tapping sound caught his attention. His head turned in several directions until he saw the source...and his face paled with terror. It was a small pebble levitating in the air and falling. "Annie, get up!" he exclaimed, throwing himself out of the bed.

She jumped up with a start, grabbing her push knife on her bedside table.

"She's here," he growled, grabbing his own knife.

There wasn't a single need to ask who 'she' was. However, the tapping stopped as soon as Annie was on her feet.

"Where is she?" Dillon asked himself, his anxiety shooting through the roof.

"Calm down," she said, looking out the window for a brief moment. There was no one in sight. "Dillon…you weren't having a nightmare, were you?"

He shook his head furiously. "No, Annie, I swear I-!"

He froze when he saw her ring slowly float into the air, circling around her with the blade revealed. Annie reached out for the ring, snatching at it, but the ring simply scratched her fingers and embedded itself in a wall next to Dillon's ear. Annie let out pained grunt, but she ignored the scratches.

Then, they heard it. A deep chuckle coming from within their minds. _"The Blacksmith and the Female Titan. How's that for a title?"_

"Show yourself," Annie demanded coolly.

" _Now where's the fun in that?"_ Elise asked. _"_ _Hey, Dillon, how's your head?_ _"_

Instantly, his mental shields went up. "Don't even try it this time."

" _Trying to tell me what I can and can't do?"_ Her voice became dangerous. _"_ _I don't think I like your tone."_ The boot knife was pulled out of Dillon's hand and levitated at his neck, poking at his skin.

Annie reached and grabbed the blade, pulling it away with all her might. Dillon lunged out of the way in time as the blade was impaled into the wall where he was with Annie still holding onto it.

She let out a yell and gripped her now fingerless hand, holding it tight. "Shit, that hurts!"

Dillon froze as he felt a finger caress his spine from behind him.

" _I can only imagine how much that would,"_ Elise said almost in a sultry tone.

"Where the hell are you, you whore?!" Annie yelled, pissed off.

Dillon tried to move, but he was paralyzed as he felt that horrible woman's fingers trail up to his neck. "Oh, God..." he whispered, terrified.

She immediately turned around and saw him frozen with fear. She blinked and there Elise stood with on hand on Dillon's neck and the other stroking his cheek.

"Dillon, move!" Annie yelled, readying her knife to throw in the other hand.

"I'm...trying..." he said through gritted teeth.

"Your skin feels so nice, Dillon," Elise complemented in an unsettling tone. "So warm. Wouldn't you agree, Annie?"

"Let him go."

"Or what?"

"Or I drive this knife into your skull!" she threatened.

"Go ahead and try it, Annie," she dared, dragging Dillon back towards the window. "I can guarantee you'll fail."

"I only need one hand to throw with," Annie reminded her.

Dillon was trying so hard to get out of this woman's grasp, but she was too strong.

"Tell me, Annie, how would you feel if I... licked his cheek?" she questioned with a sadistic grin.

"I'd rip out your intestines," she snarled.

She lowered her head next to Dillon's. "You don't say?"

"Do it. It'll just make your death more agonizing."

Her tongue began to extend... and Dillon let out an enraged roar, breaking out of her grasp. He elbowed her in the side of her head, making her stumble. It gave Annie the opportunity to lunge out her, knife at the ready. Unfortunately, Elise used her Psion powers to blast Annie against the wall. Dillon tried using his strongest mental attack to bring her down, but all it did was give her a headache. Quicker than he could react, she grabbed him and tossed him out the window.

"If you want to fight," Elise said, "come and get me, Titan." She jumped outside, deciding to pass the brief time by attacking Dillon.

The blacksmith quickly got to his feet and blocked her initial attacks, consisting of punches and kicks. He quickly went under her lunge and grabbed her around the waist before he flipped Elise over before making a run for it. Sure enough, just as Elise was back up, Annie leapt out the window, shifting overhead. The Psion was forced to jump out of the out of the way as the Female Titan manifested. She hit the ground with a loud bang, glaring down at the woman. She stood between her and Dillon, making sure that he was going to be safe.

"You know, I was a little busy trying to escape before, but now that I'm looking at you, you're quite the voluptuous specimen," Elise commented. "So, that's why he stuck around with you, the little deviant."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Dillon couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Annie let out a snort. **_"You're the deviant, getting pleasure from causing pain and death."_**

"Just like you," Elise responded, crossing her arms. "I read the testimony back when I was Kyler. You certainly know how to kill someone."

She clenched her fist, sick and tired of being reminded of that. **_"What happened that day was a mistake that I have to live with. I went into my mission with the sole purpose of completing it, but you? You're nothing but a sadistic killer."_**

"And you're just a scared little girl who wants Daddy to hold her and say that everything is going to be okay," she mocked.

" _ **If I wanted Daddy, I'd have left the Walls."**_

"Then I hope you won't mind me paying him a visit," Elise threatened.

" _ **Go ahead, you'd be doing me a favor."**_

Her grin faltered. "What?"

" _ **I said, go ahead,"**_ Annie answered.

"...You want me to kill him?"

" _ **After what he put me through? Go ahead."**_

She shrugged. "Well, I might be able to take the time to do so...but let's start with someone a little closer to home." Her eyes flashed, and Dillon started screaming in pain, her mental powers bombarding him.

" _ **Trust me, Elise,"**_ Annie said coldly, taking her stance. _**"**_ ** _I don't need more reasons to make you nothing more than a bloody smear under my foot."_**

Elise ceased her attack and focused solely on the Titan before her. "Let's dance."

" _ **You lead, then."**_

Her eyes flashed again and she launched a strong attack on Annie's mind. It was five times worse than when Dillon did it. Having learned from Dillon, however, all Elise got out of her was a grunt and a bit of blood. Where her defenses were once crystal, they were now crystal coated in galvanized steel. It'd take a lot to break through this time.

Elise was surprised, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw several Scouts running outside. "Looks like we're gonna have an audience."

Quickly, Annie put her hardened hand into the ground and dragged in a line, creating a trench between them and the Scouts. It was a not so subtle way of telling them to stay out of this.

Ideas began forming in her mind as Annie finished up. "You done redecorating?"

" _ **You done being a slut? Oh, wait. That's a lifelong curse. Too bad for you."**_

"...I'll give that a 7."

Elise started off by launching a telekinetic blast that hit the Female Titan directly in the face. It was as hard as a regular punch, though not nearly as strong as when Eren hit her. Annie turned back, allowing a smirk on to cross her features. _**"That actually hurt."**_

"Hard to block something you can't see," Elise informed her.

" _ **I can take punches. You can only take one hit."**_

Finally, Annie retaliated, performing a leg sweep. Elise dove down as the leg barely avoided her head. She levitated two swords from one of the Scouts and gripped them tightly. In the blink of an eye, the blades detached from the hilts and zoomed right into Annie's eyes. She let out a growl in pain, but brought her fist down right on top of where Elise was standing. However, the Psion easily dodged that, levitating two more swords from one of the corpses she made earlier. Annie quickly covered her nape and crystallized her hand just as one of the swords zoomed to the back of her head. It shattered, but Elise used the other sword to slice off her nose, rendering that sense useless for the moment.

"Blind and a missing nose," Elise commented over her pained roar. "How embarrassing."

Composing herself, Annie took a deep breath and let it out, focusing. She brought her leg up and then down in an axe kick, the kick right above Elise's head. She could still hear. With all of her strength, Elise caught the leg mentally and held the leg back, causing a huge strain on her mind. As some blood fell from her nose, she pushed back as hard as she could, making Annie stumble backwards and fall.

Annie let out a chuckle, her nose having reformed. _**"**_ ** _I smell blood."_**

"Exciting, isn't it?" Elise asked, enjoying herself.

Annie reached up and brushed the swords out of her eyes, standing back up. _**"**_ ** _Nice to know you can actually do something besides hide like a coward."_**

"Says the woman who can't fight without her Titan form," she shot back.

" _ **Oh, I can. I'm just levelling the field."**_

Elise's grin widened. "I'm starting to like you a lot."

"Don't get used to it, bitch!" came a voice from across the trench. It was Levi glaring right at her, who clearly wanted nothing more than to watch her die a horrible, painful death.

"Oh, keep it in your pants, Captain," Elise replied with a wave of her hand. "You'll always be my favorite."

" _ **Hey!"**_ Annie interjected. **_"No flirting when your partner is right in front of you."_**

 _Is this seriously happening right now?_ Dillon wondered.

Elise got into a fighting stance. "Let's kick it up a notch."

Annie opened her healed eyes. _**"**_ ** _Mind if I lead this time?"_**

Elise shrugged. "Knock yourself out."

Annie lunged, leading with a punch she expected to miss. Using the momentum, she brought her leg back and then up into a rising kick, intent on catching Elise unawares. Yet again, Elise dodged out of the way by jumping between the gap in her legs. "Wow, a kick. How original."

Annie used the momentum of the high kick coming down to slam her foot down and turn on it, aiming a punch at Elise.

"Oh, shit!" she exclaimed, jumping backwards and barely avoiding the punch.

Quickly, she launched another telekinetic blast that sent Annie onto her back. However, she found herself panting heavily after that.

" _ **Aw, what's the matter, doll?"**_ Annie taunted. _**"**_ ** _Getting tired? Need a break?"_**

"Oh, trust me," Elise assured. "I'm just getting-" She cried out in pain as she felt something dig into her mind.

" _Annie, now!"_ Dillon, who had snuck closer to her, exclaimed, keeping up his attack.

Annie smiled cruelly and charged forward, looking to finish it once and for all by squashing the Psion bitch under her heel.

Then...Elise smiled. Her eyes flashed her brightest as she poured every memory of Carolyn's pain and suffering into their minds via the links. Dillon found himself crying out in pain as the images flashed so quickly it was disorienting him. Annie, too, succumbed to the memories as she held her head, trying to get the screams out of her mind.

 _Got you, bitch._ Elise thought as she levitated one of the swords and, like a javelin, threw it right into Annie's nape, impaling it.

The sword went so deep in went through Annie's real back and came out her stomach. The Female Titan's body seized as a result and crashed to the ground, paralyzed.

"Annie!" Dillon yelled, stumbling towards her fallen body, but Elise's attention now turned to him. Eyes glowing, she pulled him towards her and kicked him right in the groin. Dillon collapsed to the ground, unable to talk due to the pain he was feeling as Elise planted her foot on his head.

"You're really bad at this," she commented. "Then again, I shouldn't be surprised."

"What do you want?" he groaned weakly.

"I told Levi I'd be seeing you soon, and I'm here to fulfill that promise. Now what kind of person would I be if I didn't keep my promises?"

Dillon's eyes flashed, causing Elise to stumble off of him. Slowly, he started pushing himself up.

She shook her head, disappointed. "You know, I was hoping for better, but instead, I get a little boy who's in way over his head. Still, you and your parents are…enjoyable company."

She looked over at Annie who was slowly reaching for her sword. Sighing, Elise's eyes glowed, causing the sword to go deeper. However, she fought through the excruciating pain, grabbed the sword by her fingers, and pulled it out, screaming in agony. To make matters worse, she couldn't move anymore until she healed her real body. She had to concentrate all her energy on healing, or she could pass out from the blood loss.

"Damn, that has to hurt," Elise said before returning her attention to Dillon. "Tell me, Dillon, how do you feel knowing that you can't stop me, that nothing you do will ever save your precious mother from me?"

He didn't answer as he finally stood back up, getting into a fighting stance.

She chuckled. "How adorable. You still think you can beat me despite evidence to the contrary. Well, I would be a terrible person if I didn't, shall we say…hammer the facts in."

With a snarl, Dillon aimed a punch at her that was easily dodged and received a knee to his gut for his troubles. He doubled over, but Elise was far from done with him. She landed a savage punch to his face, knocking him down, then stomped on his ribs a couple of times.

"Come on, Annie!" she taunted, levitating him in the air. "Isn't this the part where you're supposed to save him!?"

Growling, Annie started stretching her hand for Elise, but the injuries were making it very difficult for her.

With a sadistic smile that put Annie's to shame, she telekinetically slammed Dillon into a tree a few times, making sure that his head was getting hit in the process. To make matters worse, she simply took a few steps so that she was out of the Female Titan's reach. No one would be able to save him now. Once she was through, she dragged Dillon across the ground before kicking him in the head, knocking him on his back.

By this point, his knees were bleeding from the scrapes he received from being dragged across the ground. His ribs were cracked, though they managed not to break despite her efforts. And, of course, his head was bleeding once again, internally, and externally. Just how she liked it. Now, came the finale.

Her eyes continued to shine as levitated him just enough to grab him by the collar with one hand. With the other, she formed the symbol of a gun and pressed it against the side of his head. She could see it in his eyes: the fear. He was afraid of her, and that was what she wanted.

"Bang," Elise whispered.

For a brief moment, Dillon felt a sharp pain impact his head before everything went dark.

* * *

 **AN: To be continued...**


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: So, six months ago, I commissioned a portrait of Dillon Amsdale, and today, it was finished. You can the link on my profile sending you to dinaaw. Check out her artwork and see if you can commission your own stuff. She does a good job.**

 **There was a bit of a mixed reaction to the latest chapter, and I understand. I won't address the Elise one until the end of this arc, which will happen in the next chapter, but I will address the Mikasa one. Keep in mind that she has not forgiven Annie for what she has done. Considering that Annie almost killed Eren several times and almost doomed humanity, I can see her going in that direction. As for attacking Dillon, she blames him for keeping her alive and considered him to be a traitor. I can see her spiral in that direction. That being said, I did not build up to that moment very well, and it feels like it came out of nowhere, so I updated Chapter 25 and added a Mikasa scene. If you look back, I'm hoping you will be satisfied with the results.**

* * *

Chapter 27: Recovery

So much was going through Annie's mind as she watched Elise carelessly drop Dillon's motionless body. She was horrified how easily the woman tore him apart. She was in agony because he wasn't getting back up. Most of all, though, her rage was spiking. She was going to kill Elise, and paint the ground with her very blood. She wanted nothing more than to feel the life of that psychopath drain as she slowly crushes her body with her bare hands. So many ways to kill someone, and she desperately wanted to exact all of them on her.

"I think I broke him," Elise commented as she whistled for the horse that brought her here. "You might want to fix that."

Annie just gave her the deadliest glare she could muster as she slowly rose to her knees. Her body was still healing.

"If you can't beat me, little girl, how do you expect to beat the Marleyans?" Smirking, Elise quickly hopped onto her horse. "Sweet dreams, everyone!" she called out as she cracked the whip, the horse galloping into the forest.

Once she was out of sight, Annie carefully gathered Dillon into her hands, holding him delicately. _**"… Dillon?"**_ she asked quietly, her eyes welling up.

He was unresponsive, but given that there was still a mind link between them, he was still alive… at least for now.

The Scouts were speechless at all of this. They were stunned that a single woman could bring down not only Dillon, but the Female Titan as well. If they couldn't stop her, who could?

Levi was the first to break the silence. "Any casualties?"

"Four sentries, Captain," Petra answered sadly. "They didn't have a chance."

He bowed his head for a brief moment, cursing Elise's existence. "Take some Scouts and bury them. The rest of you get back inside. Prep the medical center for Amsdale and Leonhart."

"Yes, sir," was the scattered reply as they filed out.

Jean lingered in the area, unable to avert his gaze from his friend. He began to wonder if tonight was the last time he saw Dillon alive. Would he lose him like he did Marco?

"Kirstein," Levi stated, sounding sympathetic. "Unless you're going to help with the bodies, leave. There's nothing you can do for him."

"… Yes, sir," he said as he departed from the premises.

Annie was about to hand Dillon over to Levi so he could get treatment fast when she heard a horse riding towards her rather frantically. She looked back and saw Matthew, who practically lunged off his horse. Her first instinct was to ask how he managed to get here just as Elise left, but that needed to wait until Dillon was healed.

"Let me see him!" he shouted, his emotions getting the better of him.

Nodding, she carefully lowered Dillon to the ground in front of him.

Just seeing his son in this condition nearly broke him. "Oh, God! What the hell did she do to him!?"

 _ **"She… she did something to his head!"**_ Annie explained, trying to keep it together. _**"He's still alive, but… I feel like our link's being blocked by something!"**_

After closing his eyes and telepathically scanning his head, Matthew let out a frustrated grunt. "Damn it! This was her next move! I should've seen it coming!"

 _ **"What are you talking about?"**_

He shook his head. "Later. His mind has been fragmented. If we don't fix it now, the damage is going to be irreparable."

 _ **"I'll do whatever it takes to save him,"**_ Annie swore.

"We're going to have to enter his mind in the state that it's in," he warned her. "I don't know what we're going to find in there other than the mental defenses, but it could get bad."

 _ **"Then I'll roll with it,"**_ she replied firmly.

Nodding, Matthew closed his eyes. "Brace yourself. This may feel strange."

Before Annie could prepare, she felt something pulling her before she blacked out.

* * *

 _Annie was blinded for a while, and once she opened her eyes she wished she still was. The entire mindscape was fragmented, parts of the ground floating in the air and the sky itself looking cracked to hell. Her jaw dropped as she looked around. "She... did all this?" She asked, awestruck by the tornadoes and thunder that tore up the landscape, memories like floating rivers flowing by them. She saw flashes: their first time, the dinner with his family, and so much more. "It looks so... broken."_

 _"Elise had to target something to cause all this," Matthew commented, equally disturbed. "Once we find the source of the fragmentation, I can start fixing his mind."_

 _"Have you ever done this before?" she couldn't help but ask._

 _"No, but it's the only plan that makes sense," he stated, moving forward. "Let's go."_

 _Annie followed in step, keeping an eye out for any mental defenses._

 _They started off by following the river that contained many of Dillon's memories. Various times, various places. Annie could hear the sounds of a baby crying, or a toddler giggling, but those moments went by quickly. Matthew grimaced as he heard the sounds of a six-year old boy screaming in pain. That caught Annie off guard completely._

 _"What the hell is that?" she questioned._

 _"… That was when his powers were unintentionally used for the first time." Searching the river, he pointed to a memory that showed a very young Dillon, about six years if she had to guess, writhing on a table in agony, being restrained by his father. The worst part was seeing the blood pouring from his face uncontrollably._

 _"Please, Papa! Make it stop!" the child cried out._

 _"The voices will be gone soon, Dillon! Just a little longer!" Matthew urged._

 _"He only went through that pain for under an hour," the real Matthew stated. "The blocks prevented him from going through that for as long as I did when I first got my powers."_

 _"He's so young to endure so much pain," Annie said._

 _"Yes… he is." He looked away, not wanting to relive the next part of the memory._

 _"Papa, I don't want this," Dillon said with tears of pain and sadness coming down his face._

 _"I know you don't," Matthew replied, hugging him tightly. "But I promise you that I will help you through it."_

 _"Can't you make it go away?"_

" _... I can't. I'm sorry._

" _He never wanted this," Annie surmised sadly, knowing how he felt. When she became a Titan Shifter, she had some of the same feelings. At least Dillon had parents that helped him get through it._

 _Matthew shook his head, letting out a deep breath. "No, he didn't. It scared him, having a power that could hurt him the way it did." He rubbed his eyes. "He's gone through in a week more than anyone should ever go through in a lifetime."_

 _"I know," Annie agreed quietly, thinking to herself. However, she decided to pursue a distraction for the moment. "How did you get here so fast?"_

 _"I was spending the evening purchasing maps of the Underground and gathering weapons," he explained. "I was going to camp out in Mitras until morning, but then…Elise contacted me mentally."_

 _"And she told you what she was doing," she concluded._

 _"Yes. I got here and soon as I could, but… as you saw, I was too late." He gestured around him. "Hurting Dillon and breaking his mind? She's doing it to get to me, to punish me for betraying her."_

 _Annie would've responded, but there was a rumbling sound above her. She looked up and noticed dark clouds forming overhead. "We must be heading in the right direction."_

 _Matthew's eyes glowed, trying to find the center of all this madness. He felt an influx of pain coming from the storms up ahead, meaning they had to travel through it. "I don't know what the source of Dillon's pain is, so be prepared for anything."_

 _"Be prepared in case it has something to do with me," she realized._

 _"You're not the only one who's hurt him," he reminded her._

 _Annie didn't respond, bracing herself emotionally. While Matthew was right about, he wasn't the one who traumatized Dillon to the point where he was ready to commit suicide. His fear and pain of their encounter in the village was probably what was targeted. An old wound picked apart._

 _As they drew closer to the storm, the ground started to shake._

 _"What's going on?" Annie asked in a panic._

 _"His mental defenses are kicking in," Matthew explained, summoning two swords and handing one to her._

 _Just as he armed her, three anacondas about seven feet high sprung out of the ground, hissing._

 _"Are you kidding me with this!?" Annie exclaimed._

 _"Dillon doesn't mess around," Matthew commented, using his powers to blast the snake in front of him back. "Careful with what you do. His mind will adapt."_

 _Nodding, Annie barely dodged an attempt to bite her and quickly beheaded the reptile. Her victory was short lived as two more popped up to take its place. Matthew tossed his sword, impaling one of the snakes in the head, and psychically cut another in half with same sword._

 _"We have to keep moving!" he shouted. "Come on!"_

 _Steeling themselves, both of them started running as fast as they could away from the defenses and deeper into the storm. They started seeing flashes of the negative memories Dillon contained. The part where Annie slaughtered his squad without a second thought, especially the one where she gave into her enjoyment, along with the moment where Dillon discovered she was the Female Titan and the conversation where Matthew revealed his horrible past._

 _Sensing that they were distracted, one of the snakes launched itself out of the ground with the intent of finishing them off. A psychic blast prevented it from doing just that. However, the snakes quickly coiled themselves around the two. They were constricted and trapped, making them vulnerable to getting bitten._

 _Getting aggravated by the increasing amount of pressure on her ribs and the bite marks beginning to build up, Annie bit her tongue as hard as she could, drawing blood. The transformation itself was enough to throw all the snakes off her and Matthew, though the Psion was blasted away as well._

 _Once her Titan form was fully formed, she quickly ran towards him._ _ **"Matthew, are you all right!?"**_

 _He let out a groan, his body covered in bites and weakened from the blast. "I'll live."_

 _Quickly, she picked him up and held him against her body to shield him, even go so far as to crystallize her hands._ _ **"I'm sorry! I couldn't think of anything else!"**_

 _"Apologize another time," he grunted. "We need to keep going before his mind adapts to your Titan form."_

 _Nodding, she began dashing forward._

 _Annie was tall enough and strong enough to withstand moving pass the tornados as well as keeping Matthew from getting sucked in. However, the mental defenses weren't done with her yet. The snakes quickly morphed into Crystal Titans that were about her height and started charging for her._

 _ **"Four Crystal Titans coming at us,"**_ _she warned, increasing her running speed._ _ **"Dillon must've been inspired. Hang on!"**_

 _As one of the Titans drew closer, Annie whirled around and punched the Titan so hard, its head shattered. She kicked the corpse into the others before continuing her run._

 _Up ahead, however, her eyes widened when she saw a black sandstorm billowing towards them._ _ **"What… is that?"**_

 _Once again, Matthew concentrated and finally found what he was looking for, though it wasn't going to be easy. "The source of the fragmentation is beyond that storm."_

 _ **"We have to go through that!?"**_

 _"Yes."_

 _ **"Damn it,"**_ _she cursed._

 _"Come on, Annie," he urged._

 _Preparing herself for whatever laid ahead, she started making her way towards the billowing storm. Within a minute, the storm enveloped her. Annie staggered back a bit from the sheer strength of the tempest, but she powered on through. She was determined to save Dillon, and by God, she was going to do it. She could barely see with the sand and dust affecting her eyesight, but she ignored the irritating feeling and pushed forward._

 _As she trudged deeper, she began hearing something amidst the roar of the storm. She couldn't decipher what it was, though it sounded like a wailing banshee. Suddenly, she started seeing dark figures flying through the sandstorm. These creatures wore black, tattered clothes with hoods that concealed their identities, and their hands looked decomposed._

" _ **What the hell are those things?!"**_

 _"I can't see what you're seeing!" Matthew yelled back mentally._

 _ **"They look like ghosts or something!"**_ _she described._

 _He was about to ask for a better description when he began to hear voices. "Wait... listen."_

 _Annie continued moving forward, concentrating on hearing what these voices had to say. At first, they were incomprehensible, but as these Wraiths drew closer, the words became clear. 'Why didn't you save us?' 'You killed us all.' 'You destroyed my family.' 'Murderer.' 'Traitor.' 'Coward.'_

 _ **"It's… it's his guilt,"**_ _she realized._

 _"That's what it sounds like!" Matthew agreed._

 _Once Annie could see the Wraiths' face, they were the faces of the dead people of Stohess. She recognized a few of them when they tried to capture her. She also recognized the faces of Dillon's squad from the Expedition, blaming him for their deaths as well._

 _ **"I don't understand! Why does he have all this guilt?"**_ _she asked._

 _The answer came in the form of a very familiar declaration:_ _ **"This is all your fault, Dillon!"**_

 _Annie let out a sigh, moving as fast as she could. She knew that the pain was somehow linked to her, but not for the reasons she expected. She swiped away the Wraiths the came too close, while making sure that Matthew was still protected. They did not attack her, thankfully, so that was one less thing to worry about. She trudged on through the storm until she reached the other side, panting._

 _The place she came upon took her off guard. It was a city that had been completely destroyed. Buildings were ruined and scorched, almost like they were set on fire. Blood stained the roads along with decaying bodies of civilians and soldiers alike. They could still hear the whisperings of the people continuously blaming Dillon for everything that happened._

 _"This is Stohess," Matthew said, stunned._

 _ **"It's worse than it was,"**_ _she added, carefully walking through the city. She wondered if this was what he had been dreaming about lately._

 _The two remained silent as the searched the area. Matthew could feel that this was the source of Dillon's pain, the spot that Elise attacked. Now, they just needed to get to the center of the city and repair the damage._

 _After a few minutes, they finally saw what they were looking for. It was Dillon, sitting cross-legged on the ground with his back turned to them, and his head bowed. The entire area around them was shrouded in darkness and shadow. Upon getting closer, they saw various weapons and blades, all bloodied as if they had recently been used. The lacerated arms at his sides told them exactly why._

 _ **"Oh, my God,"**_ _Annie whispered, lowering Matthew to the ground._

 _The Psion's eyes widened, quickly forming a conclusion that he wished was wrong. "Dillon!"_

 _With a gasp, the teen's head turned sharply to see his father running for him and Annie cutting herself out of her Titan form. Frantically, he tried to hide the wounds on his arms that he created, but it was too late. They were seen._

 _The first thing Matthew did once he reached him was hug his son tightly, trying to hold back the anguish he felt, though a couple of tears fell down his face. Dillon tried to struggle against his embrace, wanting nothing more than to hide his actions from him, but he couldn't break free._

 _"Dillon, please stop!" Matthew begged. "Let me help you. Let us help you!"_

 _Dillon closed his eyes tightly as he realized that he wasn't get out of this, so he finally ceased trying to escape._

 _Annie, now free from her Titan, dashed over, horrified by what he had done. Once Matthew backed away, she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest. She couldn't take it anymore as she began sobbing into his shirt, pouring out all of the pain she felt. "How could you do this yourself, Dillon? Why!?"_

 _He didn't answer at first, but when he did, his voice was raspy, worn out, and filled with despair. "It's punishment."_

 _She looked up at him, shaking her head as her tears continued trickling down her face. "Dillon… no. It wasn't your fault."_

 _"Don't say that, Annie."_

 _"Dillon, please. Listen to me…"_

 _Dillon wrenched himself away from her. "Don't pretend that it isn't!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I made the choice to go along with the plan! If I never faked my death, 354 people wouldn't have died that day. My squad died when I could've easily just used my powers to stop you. They could've lived to question why I had these abilities instead of rotting in the ground right now!" His voice was breaking from the sheer guilt he felt and his eyes were filling up. "You were right. I could've tried to talk you out of it myself, but I didn't because I was a coward… and because I wasn't strong enough to do the right thing. It was my fault."_

 _Hearing his son say those things about himself broke Matthew's heart. He couldn't believe that in a matter of days, his son was going through such horrible turmoil to the point where he was cutting into his own mind as punishment. Annie was equally distraught by his actions and mentality, but it did bring some comfort that Dillon wasn't doing this in the real world. However, it was possible it would escalate to that if they didn't stop him now._

 _Matthew took the first step. "Don't you ever say that again, Dillon." His voice was on the verge of breaking as tears fell from his face. "Don't you ever say that! You are not a coward, and you sure as hell aren't weak. Do you have any idea what you are?" Once Annie stepped aside, he put his hands on his shoulders and made his despondent son look at him. "You are my son, and I love you more than you can possibly imagine."_

 _Now, it was Annie's turn as she stared right at him, doing whatever she could to regain her composure. "What I said in Stohess was out of anger and hurt, Dillon. I was wrong. You didn't kill any of these people. I did. It was my choice to react violently, and I have to carry that burden for the rest of my life. And what happened in that village… you could never have predicted that. You're only hurt because I hurt you, and I wish I could take it all away from you." She wiped away her tears. "Dillon… you saved the mission. You saved me. You gave the people here a chance to survive. You fought back your fear to do all of that. If that isn't courage, I don't know what is." Gently, she held his hands, doing her best to avoid the wounds. "Don't carry this burden anymore, Dillon. Please…it was never yours to bear."_

 _Dillon looked down, feeling ashamed that he did this to himself. "Annie, I… I'm sorry."_

 _She gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. "Let me in," she pleaded quietly. "Please."_

 _Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, tears falling. "I'm so sorry."_

 _"I know… but I'm here. I'll always be here for you."_

 _As the two held each other, Matthew eyes shined brightly as he got to work. The city slowly began repairing itself, though Dillon gritted his teeth in pain. All of his memories were beginning to flow smoothly, even those that still contained the pain he felt. The area started to let out a bright light, and Dillon held Annie even tighter. As the wounds started to heal on his arms, they finally started feeling closure for everything that happened._

 _And then… there was darkness._

* * *

(Morning)

The first thing Dillon noticed was soothing warmth. Familiar warmth, but he couldn't place it. Strangely enough, he felt something press him against this bed. Not wanting to get up just yet, he pressed himself deeper into the comfortable bed that felt… absolutely nothing like the bed he normally slept on. Not to mention the fact that his bed seemed to be moving up and down. Groaning a bit, his eyes started to open and was instantly met with the sight of something pink that was surrounded by a lot of red.

 _ **"Well, look who's finally awake."**_

Eyes widening, his gaze slowly traveled upward until he saw the Female Titan's face looking down at him with a smile. She was sitting down with her back against a tree while her arms were wrapped around his small body. He was pinned to her stomach, being held as if he was her favorite stuffed animal.

 _ **"Surprised?"**_ Annie asked, a little amused by the look on his face.

"… How… how did I get here?" Dillon asked back, flabbergasted by the position he was in.

 _ **"When we got out, I was still in my Titan form and you were still unconscious,"**_ she explained. _**"I was going to carry you back to my room, but I figured you needed something warm to sleep on after everything you went through."**_

He groaned and planted his face into her stomach with annoyance. "Well, it's official. I will never hear the end of it… but these are nice sleeping arrangements."

 _ **"It's something my mother used to do,"**_ she said somberly. _**"It always calmed me when I was at my low points. Titan hugs were always the best hugs."**_

"Definitely not wrong on that point," Dillon agreed. "Think she would've approved of me?"

 _ **"Probably would've tried to kill you, though she would get over it."**_

He could already see it happening in his mind. "That's… comforting."

Annie let out a sigh, reminiscing. _**"She was a great woman, and a terrific mother."**_ She shook it off, deciding to address her boyfriend as she raised him to face-level. _**"How are you feeling?"**_

"Head still hurts, but I'm feeling better," he replied, looking away for a moment. "Annie… about what you saw…"

 _ **"It wasn't real,"**_ she stated firmly. _ **"What I saw was a manifestation of how you felt. All I want from you is to not hide these things from me anymore, Dillon. I can't help you if you don't trust me. "**_

Dillon nodded slowly in agreement before sighing. "I've been making a whole lot of mistakes lately."

 _ **"Gee, it's almost like you're human,"**_ Annie replied in a deadpan tone. _**"Remember what I told you when we first met? 'I don't like it when people mope.' And that statement still stands today. So, no more dwelling on your mistakes. What happened in the past happened. You can't change it. Okay?"**_

"Okay." _How many lectures have I been given from her this week alone?_

 _ **"Probably five,"**_ she answered. _**"Should probably start charging you."**_

"Oh, go get a job," he shot back.

 _ **"I've already got two: being a Scout and keeping you out of trouble."**_

"Careful. You're starting to turn into Mikasa."

 _ **"Then that means you must be Eren."**_

"If I was, I'd never stop talking about how I'm gonna 'rid the world of Titans,'" Dillon replied, trying to imitate Eren's edgy tone.

 _ **"In your case, it's Titan Shifters,"**_ she pointed out.

Dillon paused for a moment, thinking it over. Stubborn, hot-headed, reckless beyond reason, having women in their lives that are stronger than them, angsty… "Crap, we are alike."

Annie chuckled, setting him down and standing up _._ _ **"I'm going on a run. In the meantime, you have unfinished business with your father."**_

"… Yeah, I do, don't I?"

 _ **"I'll see you later,"**_ she promised, taking off.

He just waved as he let out a deep breath. _"Dad…can we talk? I'm still in the forest."_

Within five minutes, Matthew arrived, looking more exhausted than Dillon was. "Hey."

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked, worried.

"Repairing your mind took a lot out of me, but I'll be fine," he assured. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Despite the circumstances, I feel… better," Dillon admitted.

"Good."

The young Psion just stood there awkwardly. "… Thank you for what you did last night."

"You're my son," he said. "I would never do anything less for you."

"I know." Dillon sat down on a tree branch. "You know… I may be a good fighter, but I only seem to be a master at beating myself up."

"You're not the only one who's guilty of that," Matthew stated as he sat next to him. "I've been doing that ever since your mother was taken, constantly asking myself, 'What if I took the right precautions? What if I actually trained you better to prevent someone like Elise from constantly getting the upper hand?' I got complacent, and now this happened."

"... Dad… there's something I need to ask you."

"What is it?"

Dillon glanced over to him. "It's about Mom. Why did she join Project Psion? I think making history wasn't all there was to it."

"You're right. It wasn't," Matthew confirmed, letting out a sigh. "When she joined the project, your mother had a unique dream."

"What dream was that?"

"To live in a world without Titans," he explained. "People turned into mindless monsters that only existed for the sole purpose of devouring humans. She hated the Titans, hated the fact that the Marleyans depended on them constantly. Psions meant that Titans didn't have to be created."

"So, it was less about giving the Marleyans what they wanted and more of getting what she wanted most of all," Dillon summed up.

He nodded. "Yes. With the Psions, it'd be far easier to accomplish goals and would limit the loss of life on both sides. Can't subjugate a nation that's been eaten."

Dillon nodded, considering it carefully for a moment before he looked away before asking the hardest question he ever asked. "Dad… why didn't you…?" His voice trailed off, unsure how to ask such a question.

"Why didn't I what?"

"What stopped you from… killing her?" he asked before quickly saying, "I'm not saying you should have, and I know that's a question I should never ask, but…"

His father raised his hand. "… Under the circumstances, I'd say that's a legitimate question." He sighed, thinking about it. "I'm going to be blunt: once we got to this island, I wanted to. I even had a gun trained on her head ready to fire."

Dillon couldn't help but look surprised. He couldn't see his father doing that to his mother. Then again, it was still hard for him to imagine the kind of person she was at the time. "What happened?"

"I was expecting her to start justifying her actions, say that Project Psion was for the greater good… but she didn't. She accepted what she did was horrible. She didn't even give explanations, saying that it wouldn't make a difference in the end. I don't know how long I held the barrel against her forehead for, but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. After killing those people on the ship to make sure we got to the island safely, I had had enough of death."

"I can understand that," he said, thinking on what he would've done. "And falling in love with her?"

"Once we reached the Walls, it was us against the world," Matthew responded. "We were strangers in a strange country, so we only had each other. Eventually, we started feeling responsible for each other, and that led to us caring about each other. A year and a half later, we were husband and wife."

Dillon allowed himself a bit of a smile. "It's amazing what time can do to change someone."

"It really is." He looked at his son. "Dillon… I'm proud of the man you've become."

He gave his father a surprised look.

"You fought back your fears to get a mission done: save the woman you love and save humanity. You stood up to her even when she was ready to kill you. Because of you, she is truly on our side now, and humanity has a better chance at surviving the Marleyans. Don't ignore the things you've done or focus on the things you didn't do."

Dillon nodded, the words finally sinking in after all this time.

Matthew patted him on his shoulder. "Come on. We have a psycho to take down."

"You have a plan," he realized.

"It's a long shot, but what else is new nowadays?"

Dillon laughed at that. It felt good to do that after so long.

* * *

(The conference room)

"In our current situation, an extraction is out of the question," Matthew stated. "So, we need to change that situation. If we can't go Underground, we need to lure Elise above ground."

"And you believe someone like her would fall for such a ploy?" Erwin questioned.

"If last night was any indication, Elise's overconfidence is unbelievably high, and for good reason," Dillon said. "With the amount of power she has, she thinks herself practically invincible."

"She got nervous a few times when we fought," Annie pointed out, leaning against the wall. "Only reason she won was when she started fighting tactically instead of putting on a performance."

"And that's her weakness," Matthew added. "She spends to entire fight trying to prove a point, that we never had a chance against her. There are three things we must do to defeat her: tire her out, take her by surprise, and overwhelm her."

"Sounds great and all, but according to Leonhart, she was able to turn herself practically invisible," Levi interjected. "Now that I'm thinking about it, she probably pulled that stunt when I was Underground. First time when she killed my squad, and the second time when I fought her."

"I have a plausible theory regarding that," Hanji said. "It's not that she can make herself invisible; it's that she can use her powers to distort what we see. If you stared at a painting of a bowl of fruit, then she could make one piece of fruit vanish. Something like that has to require a lot of energy."

"Explains why she was getting sloppy," Annie replied. "She used up her energy on re-enacting a horror story."

Dillon shivered, remembering the feeling of Elise touching him. "Yeah, don't remind me."

"We have to even the odds," Matthew stated firmly. "I can play on her ego and make her come to the surface. We can make the odds better if I can pick the location of the fight."

"And where would that be?" Erwin asked.

"Stohess."

Dillon gave him a wide-eyed expression. "Dad, that district's still wrecked from the Titan brawl! You wanna have another battle there!?"

"Unlike the Underground, it's a familiar environment," Erwin explained, seeing where Matthew was going. "She'll have less of an advantage if she can't hide in the shadows."

Matthew pointed to a spot on the map, the same area where Annie transformed. "This is where we'll fight. The place is still in shambles and it's less of a hassle to evacuate the area. Dillon and I will fight her for a few minutes. By then, she should be too exhausted to bend our reality and vulnerable to surprise attacks. If we are unable to last that long, we'll call in the reinforcements early via mind link. However, while that's going on, there is a second objective at play."

"Getting Carolyn out," Levi figured out.

He nodded. "With Elise on the surface, there will be time for a squad to find Carolyn, but there's only a small window of opportunity if we fail. Once Elise returns, whoever's down there is probably going to die. Not mention if she leaves anything behind should someone try to find my wife."

"Then that is a risk they will have to take," Erwin responded.

Annie walked over, tapping the map. "There's a problem with that: there's a lot of Underground to cover. Elise could be stashing her anywhere."

"There might be a way to narrow the search," Dillon said, "but there's no guarantee it'll work. While Dad contacts Elise… I'm going to try and search for my mom."

"Elise will be blocking my attempts to locate her," Matthew added, "but I'll make her too distracted so that Dillon can find her. If there's a less risky plan, speak up now."

Erwin shook his head, standing up. "Time is running out as it is. Today marks the seventh day since Annie sent her letter to the Beast Titan. I have Mike Zacharias ready for the eventual attack, but it could happen today."

"Dealing with the Titan Shifters on top of Elise is too much to handle," Dillon said. "We have to take her down before we have chaos on our hands." He looked at his father. "I'm ready."

Nodding, Matthew's eyes flashed and used the link that Elise set up to contact him the night before. _"Elise!"_ he shouted mentally.

There was a moment of silence before she responded with a yawn. _"Aw, Matthew, I was having a wonderful dream where-!"_

 _"Cut the bullshit, you bitch! You almost killed my son!"_

 _"Oh, he's still alive?"_ Elise asked. _"He probably has brain damage by now. You might need to fix that."_

 _"Shut up and listen!"_ Matthew demanded.

While he was doing that, Dillon's eyes were glowing as he tried to locate his mom.

 _"You've been doing everything in your power to tear my family apart_!" he stated. _"You launched a cowardly attack against the Scout Regiment while I was away!"_

She laughed at that. _"Cowardly, you call it. Even if you were there, you would've been nothing compared to me."_

 _"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"_

Dillon closed his eyes as he stretched out his psychic senses as far as he could.

"You can do this," Annie whispered.

There was a pause on the other end of Matthew's conversation. _"Is that a challenge I'm hearing?"_

 _"Tomorrow at a set location above ground, my son and I are going to fight you to the death. We are going to settle this once and for all."_

 _"Hmm…that sounds suspiciously like a trap,"_ Elise replied. _"Above ground where a couple of Titans can interfere and ruin the fun."_

Finally, Dillon caught the familiar presence he had been looking for. "Mom? Mom, can you hear me?"

She didn't respond.

"Mom, it's me. Dillon. Please, if you're there... talk to me," he pleaded quietly.

" _Never stopped you before,"_ Matthew pointed out. _"What's the matter, Elise? Are you afraid you'll die? That you might become vulnerable? If so, by all means, stay in hiding where it's safe."_

" _... Dil... lon..."_

His eyes widened, surprised that he managed to reach her and nervous at how weak she sounded. "Mom, I need you tell me where you are. Quickly."

For the first time, Elise let out an angered growl. _"You son of a bitch. You think I'm afraid of you, of Levi, of that bitch Titan!?"_

" _... Pri..."_

 _"Prove it! Above ground in Stohess tomorrow by the ruined Underground entrance at 11:00 in the morning. By 11:10, you will have been dismembered and killed for what you've done!"_

"Come on," he pleaded quietly. "You're one of the strongest people I know."

Once again there was another pause before he heard her chuckle. _"I like this, Matthew. All right. I'll play your little game, but instead of having 24 hours to prepare, you have seven."_

 _"Seven hours?"_ he repeated.

 _"... Prison... Legend..."_ Carolyn went quiet.

" _Gives you time to recover, but not quite enough time to case the area, and set up all kinds of surprises for me. 5:00. Don't be late."_ With that final statement, she severed the link just as Dillon severed his.

Immediately, Matthew turned to him. "Did you find her?"

"Yes," he answered. "She managed to give me two words to go on: prison and legend."

"… I know what she's talking about," Levi stated, his eyes narrowing. "Carolyn's trapped in the nastiest prison in the walls, one that no one comes out of."

"Except Elise apparently," Matthew pointed out. "If she can get in and out, so can someone else."

"One squad to fight Elise, the other to rescue Carolyn," Erwin summed up. "The first squad would have to be good enough to survive Elise's attacks,"

"I'll be part of the team," Annie offered instantly. "Now that I've seen what she can do, I'll be prepared."

"I think Mikasa should go as well," Hanji suggested. "Her injuries shouldn't impede her from a task like this. She is an Ackerman after all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dillon wondered.

"The people of the Ackerman Clan are the longest living line of warriors inside these Walls," Levi explained. "Each Ackerman is worth two hundred normal soldiers."

The teen tilted his head. "What, is she part of a race of genetically-enhanced super soldiers?"

"Don't be stupid, Amsdale," Levi snorted. "It's a familial ability. Whatever it is, it's something within our blood that once unlocked, we become the most efficient at killing."

Dillon's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Levi… Ackerman?"

He nodded. "Before you ask, Mikasa's a distant cousin and she knows by this point who I am. So I'll be joining this team as well."

"Levi, your leg is still broken," Hanji stated, clearly concerned.

"If you think you can stop me, Hanji, give it a try," the captain replied in a cold tone.

"Levi, enough," Erwin ordered. "I will consider it. I would send Eren, but given what happened the last time, I feel it prudent to keep him here."

"Ask Jean," Dillon suggested. "He knows how to fight and he's a natural at the ODM gear."

"In the meantime, I can be part of the squad that rescues Carolyn," Hanji stated.

"Take my squad with you," Levi suggested. "A tight-knit group is exactly what we need down there."

"Including Eren?" she asked.

"He's part of my squad, so yes."

"How much time do we have to prepare?" Erwin questioned.

"Less than seven hours," Matthew answered. "She wants Dillon and I to meet her at five."

"Then we must move quickly. I'll have Nile evacuate the area." The commander looked at all of them. "Time is not on our side. What we are about to undertake has many ways it can all go wrong, but if we do not act, will be facing the Titan attack and Elise simultaneous. Under no circumstances can she succeed. Keep collateral damage to a minimum, but do whatever it takes to stop her. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Commander," they all replied.

"Good. Get to work."

* * *

 **AN: To be concluded…**


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Special thanks to Notorious T for writing the scene where the squad goes inside the prison.**

* * *

Chapter 28: Final Clash

(Underground)

As Eren traveled with Levi Squad and Hanji, he couldn't help but look around. He had heard rumors about the horrible conditions of the Underground, but they paled in comparison to what he saw. "I can't believe how many of them are so..."

"Sick? Dying? Starving?" Eld finished, looking over his shoulder. "Trust me, Eren. You're lucky that you didn't grow up here."

"And the King does nothing about it?" he questioned angrily.

"Not a thing," Hanji replied in a serious tone. "It may be a struggle to survive on the surface, but down here... there's even less hope."

 _And Captain Levi grew up here?_ Eren asked himself. _What did he have to do to make it out of here alive? I don't think I want to know._

"Petra, you look worried," Gunther noted.

"Everything's been insane lately," she said. "I mean, getting another Titan Shifter on our side was one thing, but... it's been hard to process everything else. A psychopathic Psion, Titans being humans, an entire country that wants to kill us..." She let out a sigh. "It's funny that things were simple when it was just us against the Titans."

"Well, at least we know who we're fighting," Eld pointed out. "Whatever we feel about Leonhart, she is giving us the opportunity to fight back."

"Don't expect me to be inviting her to our social gatherings," Gunter said with a snort.

Eren sighed, but he didn't address it. Last night, watching Annie and Dillon get thrashed by that sadist made him feel conflicted about those two. It was so easy to label them as enemies, but now, he wasn't sure what to think of them. For once, he decided to put it on his to-do list to talk with her. It was a long time coming, and it needed to be done.

"There it is!" Hanji announced, pointing ahead.

Before them seemingly attached to the wall of the Underground was a massive prison. The cracks in the building itself was a dead giveaway that it was old and rundown, but it still carried an ominous look, almost as if it was haunted. There weren't many windows in the stone prison, making them wonder if what little light the Underground had was barred off for the inmates.

"Is it just me or is anyone else getting a little nervous?" Eld asked.

"Hate to say it, but it's not just you," Gunther said.

"We'll need to be careful, then," Hanji stated. "From what I've seen of Elise, she doesn't seem like the type of person to leave behind Carolyn without leaving behind any surprises along with her."

"We'll get her out of there," Eren swore.

The others sounded off their agreement as they continued towards their destination.

* * *

(Stohess; 4:56 PM)

Returning to the scene of a battle was always difficult, especially if that someone witnessed firsthand the destruction that occurred. While the district was no longer on fire and surrounded by smoke and screams, the tragedy still remained. It made it far more difficult to come to terms that the people of Stohess would watch their world shake once more.

"Dillon?" Matthew asked in a concerned tone.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dillon replied, "Sorry. I just... there's a lot of bad memories here."

He nodded in understanding. "I know this is difficult for you, but Stohess is a district we all know, and it's easier to evacuate areas because of the state it's in. We have to seize any advantage we can get at this point."

The teen let out a sigh as he stared at the caved in houses near the Underground entrance. Elise's words came back to haunt him when she asked Annie how many families she killed trying to reach Eren during their first meeting. It wouldn't leave him alone as he began to wonder if she was desperate and angry enough to kill innocent civilians to complete her task. However, he couldn't bring it up. He didn't want to upset her.

 _"Dillon, I know what you're thinking and I'm not upset at you,"_ a familiar voice reminded him in a sympathetic tone. _"For what it's worth, I didn't kill anyone in those houses. I avoided the populated ones and broke through the ones that were empty."_

Dillon massaged his forehead in frustration. _"Damn it, I don't want to be here."_

 _"Neither do I, but we have a job to do. Once Elise is dead, we can get out of this place."_

 _"I know,"_ he replied.

For the first and only time, he was glad when Elise stepped out of one of the houses. Gave him something else to focus on. This time, he was well-rested and ready for her.

"You're early," she stated before staring at the teen. "Guess you weren't as injured as I thought. I'll have to rectify that next time."

"There's never going to be a next time," Matthew swore, immediately getting into a fighting stance along with his son.

"You sound so confident," Elise noted with a smirk. "I'm going to-!"

Their eyes flashed simultaneously and the Psion was sent flying into one of the destroyed homes, crashing into the rubble. Taking a deep breath, both men targeted the walls next and caved them in, burying her.

"I think we just lost one advantage," Dillon said.

"What advantage?" Matthew wondered.

"Her tendency to talk too much."

On cue, there was a psychic blast that sent the debris flying off her in various directions. The two managed to dodge the pieces that headed towards them, though the houses behind them weren't so lucky. She stalked out of the house, looking a little pissed.

"Okay, then," she said in a clipped tone.

She launched a large piece of debris at the them which Matthew deflected while Dillon ran at her, launching a mental attack in the process. Elise gritted her teeth and met his charge, backing up and moving in sync, blocking his attacks. She moved around him to evade a punch and slammed her elbow into the back his head, making him stumble. However, Matthew came at her, kicking her in the gut, which was followed by a spin kick from Dillon. The two tried to get her while she was on the ground, but she blasted them back, causing them to crash into the house behind them.

 _Let's see how you handle this._ Elise thought as she began to literally bring down the house.

The wall of the house blasted out thanks to Matthew, which Elise forced to jump out of the way of. The two Psions barely made it out of the crumbling house, though there was some cuts and bruises for their efforts. Matthew's eyes continued to glow as Elise got pulled towards him. However, she was prepared for that and she launched a quick mental attack, throwing off his concentration. She thrust her foot out and caught him in the head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Dillon re-engaged her, grabbing her by shoulders and kneeing her in the gut as hard as he could. She doubled over, but she blocked his the second knee and slammed her fist into his jaw. Before she could do more, she was thrown to the side via Matthew's powers.

 _Damn it._ He thought as he began to feel lightheaded. _It's too soon._

Dillon spared a brief glance at his father, noticing his pained expression. He hoped that they could last a little longer so the others could get into position.

Elise had to give credit where credit was due. She underestimated how powerful Matthew was. However, she could tell his brief victories were short lived. The moment she took notice of his weakening state, she acted accordingly.

She launched another, more intense mental attack on his mind. He let out a cry of pain, but Dillon telekinetically slammed a brick into the side of her head. She wasn't knocked out, but it hurt. A lot. He attempted to capitalize on an advantage, going on the offense once more and managing to kick her back. Unfortunately, that advantage was short-lived as Elise performed an uppercut filled with Psion energy that sent Dillon into the air before crashing on the ground. To further beat him, she launched another blast, causing Dillon to be launched into the canal.

"Enough of this!" Matthew demanded, punching her into the wall of another house. "It's me you want! It's all you ever wanted since you started this!"

Growling, Elise rose to her feet. "I thought you were dead, Matthew, but not only were you alive, but you married the woman responsible for the project!"

"She didn't start it, Elise," he shot back.

"It makes no difference, you bastard!" she yelled, smashing him into the ground with her powers. "You heard those screams..." She slammed his head into the ground. "... you saw those people..." Another smash. "... and now you're screwing with that bitch!"

Nearby, Dillon reached the edge of the canal, pulling himself onto dry land. His swimming skills were rusty, and he was getting tired, but he pressed on.

A psychic blast emitted from him, making Elise crash into a window. "She changed, Elise," Matthew told her weakly as he got up, "but I doubt that matters to you anymore."

"You're right. It doesn't matter," she grunted as she brushed the glass off hair. "What matters is that I'm going to do what I should have done months ago."

"Why wait so long?" he questioned.

"I'll let you wonder," she stated, charging at him. He intercepted her, grabbing her and tossing her to the ground, though she was able to roll to her feet using the momentum. Her blue eyes glowed once more as she punched him in the gut, but he retaliated by bring his head up sharply, catching her in the chin. She staggered back before being blasted into the wall. Elise let out a groan of pain, but Matthew wasn't faring well either. His lightheadedness was getting worse to the point where he was getting dizzy. She let out a pained yell as Dillon launched a mind attack while running at her, delivering a kick the stomach once he got close enough. Her response was to levitate a piece of rubble that hit him in the head.

With the teen staggering back, she telekinetically pulled Matthew to her and kneed him in the stomach once more. Quickly, Dillon tackled her to the ground, punching her in the face before getting psychically thrown off. Hoping to her feet, she met a harsh punch that impacted her jaw, causing blood to pour from her mouth. He threw another punch, but her eyes glowed. Pieces of glass flew from the broken window and cut his arm, making him retract it. Before he could do anything, she impaled two large shards right into his gut. He gasped in pain as Elise launched a spin kick that knocked him head first into the wall of the house, downing him. Enraged, Dillon kicked Elise away from his dad, going back on the offensive. Unfortunately, the teen received a hard smash to the stomach thanks to levitating debris, making him fall as well.

Matthew was in excruciating pain. Not only was his head trying to kill him for overdoing it, but the shards of glass punctured his organs. He was going to be choking on his own blood soon.

Elise stared at the two wounded men, pleased that they were defeated. And yet... "You know, I thought I would be enjoying this by now, but I'm not." She walked over to Matthew, staring down at him. "You were my friend, Matthew, but you chose this path, and now you have to suffer the consequences."

The Eldian glared up at her. "So... will you."

Her eyes glowed as she began choking Dillon with her abilities. "Say goodbye to your son."

Matthew attempted to launch a mental attack, but a kick to the face stopped him.

"No more delays, Matthew," she stated coldly. "I'll at least make it quick for old times' sake."

She was completely focused on breaking Dillon's neck that she failed to pay attention to the sound of ODM gear heading in her direction. Once it got close enough, however, her eyes widened and looked left just in time to see a boot smash right in her face, sending her tumbling across the ground.

"Leg's better now, bitch," Levi informed her, drawing out his swords.

Getting to her feet, Elise smirked. "Well, if isn't my favorite midget. Mind waiting a few minutes? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"No, you're not," another voice stated as a haymaker slammed into her face courtesy of Mikasa.

Staggering back and massaging her cheek, the Psion asked, "Who's this, Captain? Your daughter?"

"Just a distraction," Levi said.

Prepared this time, Elise moved just as Annie came at her with a knife from the alley, dodging a stab that was meant for her spine. However, the blonde followed through with a kick to the stomach that sent her back a couple yards.

"You," Elise growled.

"Me," Annie replied darkly.

While the three were confronting the Psion, Jean zoomed over to Matthew. "Oh, this is bad!"

"Just get me... to hospital," Matthew grunted, pulling out the shards. "I can... hold out."

Grimacing at the sight, Jean complied regardless, hoisting him up. Matthew's eyes glowed and he used his powers to stop the bleeding, though if the teen didn't get him to the hospital soon, he would start choking.

"Get him out of here!" Levi ordered.

"Don't worry, Matthew," Elise assured. "I'll pay you a visit soon. Do you like flowers?"

Matthew didn't even dignify that with a reply.

"Thanks, Jean," Dillon said as he got to his feet.

"Don't let her get away this time," Jean warned as he took off.

"I won't," he swore, getting into a fighting stance. _My dad and Elise were evenly matched. Maybe we can overwhelm her, but if I was stronger, we could have this in the—wait, a minute. That's it!_

Elise held out her arms, grinning. Now, she was having fun again. "All right, everyone! Who wants to go first?"

Levi and Mikasa met the call as they propelled himself upwards. However, instead of attacking, they let loose a large amount of gas from their tanks, shrouding Elise with it. The two Ackermans plunged into the cloud cover and went for her. Levitating a blade from Mikasa's equipment, Elise blocked Levi's attack, pushing him back. Mikasa went to strike her from behind only to be blasted back with a simple gesture. However, a knife thrown by Annie flew towards Elise's head, though she knocked it out of the way (barely), but it gave Levi the chance to make his move. Quickly, he pinned her against the wall and attempted to gut her, though she blasted him back as well. Deciding to put a stop to this, she levitated three blades and pointed them at her respective attackers, causing them to halt.

"None of you saw this coming?" Elise asked, panting a bit.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar presence attack her mind. She looked at Dillon, who's eyes were glowing brighter than usual, and was about to attack him when something in her mind was punctured. Realizing what he was going after, she attempted to shore up her mental defenses, but combined with her constant usage of her abilities and the fact that she was trying to keep the three at bay, he was easily able to snake past them and target what he was going for: her blocks. She felt her main block shatter in her mind along with the two others she had in quick succession.

Elise fell, screaming in agony as she clutched her head, the swords aimed at the three clattering to the ground. She began to hear voices slowly trickle in her brain, thoughts from not only the four people in front of her, but from the civilians within Stohess. Within seconds, it became a cacophony of voices, blood starting to pour from her face. Before anyone could make another move against her, she released a psychic blast that was five times more powerful than her previous ones. They were sent flying across the road, though Annie was pulled towards her violently. She quickly relieved her of her ODM gear before gutting her with the knife she had thrown. Kicking her aside, Elise strapped on the equipment and took to the skies.

"Annie!" Dillon exclaimed as he was about to run towards his girlfriend.

"After her!" Levi ordered, pursuing her along with Mikasa. _"Amsdale, start talking!"_

"Dillon, stay back!" Annie warned, pulling the knife out of her stomach with a pained gasp. "I'm going to shift!"

 _"I targeted the blocks in her mind,"_ Dillon explained to all of them, panting. _"She can't blot out the voices she's hearing unless she can focus long enough to repair the blocks. She's at her weakest, but she's also at her strongest!"_

 _"Then we kill her now,"_ Levi stated. _"There's a spare gear in the alley at your 7:00. If you're not gonna be a liability, put it on."_

 _"Just give me a minute to recover,"_ Dillon requested just as a lightning bolt came down on Annie. _I will never understand how that_ _works._

* * *

(Underground)

Hanji opened the old door slowly, the scent of ancient dust and mold hitting their noses. The Squad Leader went inside carefully, the rest following her with unease, a bit queasy at what they might find within. Their lanterns were the only defense against the suffocating darkness that awaited. They descended the worn stone steps cautiously, eyes alert for danger.

"This place gives me the chills," Petra muttered, voicing her dread. Her honey eyes glanced around nervously, wary of what might be lurking.

"You're not the only one," a tense Eld commented, looking as paranoid as he felt.

"I'm not surprised," Hanji replied thoughtfully from the front. "Many prisoners have died here in the past. Perhaps their spirits still haunt the place?" She laughed a little, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're not helping!" Gunther groaned.

Eren shared the feeling as well, but for other reasons. He couldn't transform in this confined space, and that made him feel trapped and helpless. But he steeled his mind and followed the others deeper within the dungeon. Carolyn's life was on the line, and he wanted to repay the debt he owed her.

As the time passed, they were soon greeted by a foul stench that made them sick to their stomachs.

"Gah! What's that smell?" Eren complained as he held his nose shut in disgust.

Hanji said nothing, a serious look on her face as she brought her lantern to a silent cell. The light revealed the skeletal remains of a prisoner inside, a look of torment on its face. "Rotting corpses," she explained with narrow eyes. "The former inhabitants were treated very poorly indeed."

"Makes me wonder if we'll find Carolyn's body next," Eld muttered with a grimace.

She shook her head. "I seriously doubt it."

"What makes you say that?"

Hanji turned her head to face him with a dark look. "Because Elise is a sadist. She can't torture someone that's dead."

Unfortunately, that moment of turning around cost her. She took another step and the ground gave in. Hanji let out a frightened yelp as she started to fall, but Gunther and Petra quickly grabbed her and pulled her away from the edge. A sizeable hole was revealed as the pieces of the floor took a couple of seconds to hit the bottom. If she had fallen, it was highly likely she would've broken her leg.

"That was too close!" Gunther exclaimed.

Hanji let out a nervous chuckle as she got her bearings. "She's clever, that woman."

Petra stared at the gap for a brief moment, sizing it up. "We should be able clear it."

Taking a few steps back, Hanji took a running start and jumped over the hole. "Should be good." She said, dusting herself off

Nodding, Gunther was the next one to go, and was quickly followed by Petra. Eren made the next leap, but when he landed, he almost fell backwards into the pit were it not for Petra grabbing him by the shirt.

"Thanks," he said, trying to shake it off after she pulled him up.

"Couldn't let Humanity's Last Hope have a pitiful death," Petra teased.

Eren let out an embarrassed chuckle as Eld made it to the other side easily.

"Eyes on the floor," Hanji warned as she pressed forwards. "Could be more traps."

"Are you telling us or yourself?" Gunther wondered with a smirk.

"Don't make me come over there."

The squad shared a brief laugh, but the time for levity was short-lived as the darkness once more engulfed them. For what seemed like hours (though in truth it was only a few minutes) they continued to go deeper into the prison. The next, and final, trap was a simple trip wire that they easily stepped over. Once they were on the other side, they saw that the wire was attached to a rifle that Hanji simply detached.

"Maybe not as clever as I thought," she muttered.

"Over there!" Eld announced, pointing ahead down a corridor that led to a barely lit room.

Carefully, the squad walked as quickly as they could while keeping an eye out for more traps. When they reached the other side, the sight before them made them drop their jaws in horror.

"Carolyn!" Hanji gasped, running towards her friend.

Suspended in the air by four chains that were attached to four corners of the room was Carolyn Amsdale. But she was a completely different from the woman they remembered. Her body was covered in blood due to the shallow cuts made on her arms, legs, and her back. Her face was swollen, covered in bruises that was clearly made from fists, and there was dried up blood there as well.

"What did that bitch do to her?" Eld snarled, his fist shaking with barely contained rage.

Hanji didn't answer as she checked her pulse. "She's still alive, but her pulse is weak."

 _This is sickening._ Eren thought darkly. _If Elise somehow survives, I will hunt her down myself and tear her apart!_

"Let's get her out of here," Gunther said as he and the others drew their swords.

"No, wait!" the squad leader exclaimed. "There's no way Elise would make it so easy. Check the chains."

Though they were anxious to get Carolyn down, they followed Hanji's advice. Looking more carefully, the chains led to holes in each corner of the room, the holes seeming to lead upwards into the supports.

Hanji walked over to take a closer look, eye's widening as she recognized the design of the trap. "Clever…" Hanji said grimly. "It's a weighted trap. The supports are weakened, off balance by just enough to be dangerous. Her weight is the only thing keeping them from collapsing." We free Carolyn, and this entire place collapses upon us."

"Damn that bitch!" Eld swore in anger. "Hasn't she done enough harm already?"

"But we can't leave Carolyn here! What do we do?" Eren urged Hanji in panic.

"Shut up and let me think," she ordered, walking up to a room corner to study the trap while the others did what they could to tend to Carolyn's brutal wounds.

"We'll get you out, Carolyn. Don't worry." Petra's voice shook as she cleaned a section of skin for gauze.

"It's sick how cruel some people can be," Gunther commented darkly, which the others silently agreed with.

After what felt like an eternity, Hanji walked up to them with determination. "I have a plan, but it needs all of us to work," she spoke with authority.

"Let's hear it then, we don't have time to waste." Eld urged her.

"These chains are each held in tension by a spring of some kind. The spring snaps back, the force is going to be just enough to knock the supports loose. We have to remove the chains one at a time, and keep them from reeling back inwards. If we fail, the supports collapse, and all of us die."

"Hey, we already risk our lives against the Titans. This is nothing in comparison." Eld encouraged.

Hanji let out a small laugh at that statement. "That's the spirit! Now, let's get Carolyn out of this hell."

"But how are we going to remove these chains?" Gunther pointed out.

"With this!" Hanji exclaimed as she held up a set of bolt cutters with a smug grin. "Luckily, I came prepared. Gunther, grab this chain and don't let it move. Eren, you support Carolyn's body."

The two nodded and did so. They waited tensely as Hanji squeezed the tool tightly to snap the metal. Two halves of a chain link clattered to the ground loudly.

To their relief, Hanji's plan had worked so far. So, they repeated the process twice more, Eld and Petra grabbing another chain each. Eren and Hanji worked together for the last one. With the final chain cut and grabbed by Eren, Hanji was able to lower Carolyn to the ground.

"Well, now what? My arms are getting tired," Gunther groaned.

"One of us has to get Carolyn to safety first." To Eren's surprise, Hanji set Carolyn down on the stone floor and grabbed the chain he held. "That person is you, Eren. Carry her away from this room and back the way we came."

"What? Why does it have to be me?" the teen asked in confusion.

Hanji looked him in the eyes with utter seriousness. "Because you're far more valuable than us, Eren. We can't afford to lose you. You have to get Carolyn out of here, no matter what happens to us. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Eren managed to get out. With a hesitant look to the rest of them, Eren lifted the broken Carolyn into his arms and carried her slowly out of the sadist's room.

Hanji looked at the others. "Well... anything you all want to say?"

"This is a shitty way to die," Eld stated bluntly.

They all shared a chuckle, completely agreeing with that statement.

"When I say now, run," Hanji stated. "Ready? One... two... three... NOW!"

The squad quickly released the chains.

They wasted no time and ran like hell, making it halfway out when thunderous crashes occurred and cracks began forming in the walls around them. They just barely made it out as stone rubble from the ceiling crashed loudly into the room, the hallway behind them soon following. They didn't stop until they caught up with Eren and Carolyn on the 'ground' floor, the brunette teen filled with relief at their survival as the corridor they had just escaped came crashing down, bringing most of that section of the building with it.

"Well, that was fun!" Hanji laughed madly.

"Hanji... you're insane," Petra said, panting heavily.

"Just figure that out?" Eld snarked.

"…. You know, I just realized something." Hanji said, tapping her chin.

"What, that you're crazy?" Eren snarked.

"No. We could have avoided that."

"…. What?" Gunther asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Well, we could have walked the springs back in so they didn't snap. That'd disable the trap."

They each stared at her as if she had grown a second head.

"Or we could have bound the chains together with rope or tied them in a knot together. Might not have held, but would have given us more time."

"So, in other words…. You chose the thrill over the safety?" Eld clarified.

"Doesn't surprise me… she IS Hanji Zoe."

The squad leader in question simply rolled her eyes. "You four get Carolyn to a hospital the moment you get above ground. I'm heading straight to Stohess to update our illustrious captain."

"Good luck out there," Eren replied.

Nodding, Hanji dashed towards the exit. She knew that there was an opening in the Underground that immediately led to the surface. She would use that to save hours of time she would've spent on foot and travel through the city as fast as she could. Worst came to worst, she would take on Elise. Carolyn just got liberated and she refused to let her get captured again.

* * *

(Stohess)

Elise could not remember the last time she had been humiliated like that. She cursed herself for underestimating the brat and swore to not only kill him, but make it at painful as humanly possible. No more holding back. Right now, however, her top priority was repairing her blocks and evading her pursuers. Currently, Levi and Mikasa were right on her tail, and if the lightning bolt was any indicator, the Female Titan was rearing her ugly head.

Despite the constant stream of voices in her mind, Elise began feeling her power growing at a surprising rate. Pure energy flowed through it, and it felt undeniably good. Sure, her mind was being wrecked, but pain was only a problem for her if she let it. Her grin steadily returned as the blood on her face continued to fall. She had never felt more alive. In a way, she had Dillon to thank. Because of him, so many possibilities were open.

She looked around at the buildings. To the humans, they were strongholds, but to her, they were made of glass. Perhaps she could break one... or two... or more. No, not yet. First, she would humiliate the Ackermans, especially Levi. Then, she would use her powers to destroy the Female Titan once and for all. Oh, the look on the little girl's face would be perfect. Finally, Dillon would watch as she kills the woman he loves before succumbing to her fate... after a few days of fun, of course.

She grit her teeth as the voices continued shouting in her mind, her smile fading as they spiked from people reacting to the situation around them. She could barely think now, and she felt like she was being inflicted by the mother of all migraines. Her focus was so off from the sudden jolt that she unceremoniously crashed on top of a flat roof, prompting Levi and Mikasa to attempt to go in for the kill. The key word being "attempt" because a large blast promptly threw them off, though they managed to grapple onto the house in time.

"Damn leg," Levi muttered with a grimace as he was forced to put weight on it.

"Captain?" Mikasa asked, concerned.

"Don't worry about me," he stated. "We have a job to do."

The ground shook violently as the Female Titan passed by them, going straight for the Psion. Elise leapt off the roof, barely dodging a giant hand that swiped at her. A punch would've been faster, but unless she could get her into a flat landscape, going all out was out of the question. The civilians were running and screaming at the sight of her once again, but she just ignored them and moved on, making sure not to accidentally crush someone. Last thing she needed was more innocent blood on her hands.

With Annie holding herself back and the Ackermans struggling to catch up, Elise should have had a clear shot out of Stohess. However, she was continuously losing focus, which was evident by the way she nearly hit the ground after screaming in pain. That gave Annie time to catch up and grab the cable, pulling her back towards her. Before she could turn Elise into a blood splatter, the Psion launched two blasts. One hit Annie's face and caused her to stagger back. The other broke off her fingers, freeing her.

The momentum of the pull, however, carried her towards a rooftop which she fell onto rather harshly. Seizing the advantage, Annie lunged at her, putting all her strength into her punch. Elise held it back with her powers, which pushed her far beyond her normal limits, collapsing to her knees as she focused all her energy into keeping herself alive. With her abilities fluctuating, her bleeding as constant as ever, and the roof starting to cave under the weight, Elise realized that if she didn't do something fast, she would die.

Then, an idea came to her. Glancing to her right, she saw a huge cluster of civilians watching the fight behind a five-story tall statue of the King. It was perfect. Concentrating as best as she could, Elise targeted the base and caused it to explode, scattering the screaming civilians and making the statue start to collapse.

"Me or them, little girl!" Elise taunted as the first nearly reached her.

Seeing what she had done, Annie snarled and released her, running towards the falling sculpture. Pieces of the structure plummeted towards the civilians, further injuring and even killing those who were unable to escape due to their injuries. However, the Female Titan soon arrived and grabbed hold of the statue, hardening her hands to get a better grip on it. She planted her feet, doing her damndest to keep it from collapsing. Most of the civilians continued to run to a safe distance, but a few idiots just stood there watching. She glared at them and let out a brief roar, making them dash off in terror, helping their fellows as best they could. Once the last of them were gone, she carefully lowered the statue to the ground, parts of it breaking off. She made a mental note to help fix it later, but she had a psycho to kill first.

Elise managed to make it to the Wall itself. She was running low on gas, but she was confident that she had enough to climb it. She looked back and saw the Ackermans hot on her trail again. Irritated, she broke off pieces of the Wall, surprised at her own strength, and started lobbing them at the duo. Levi and Mikasa split off, dodging the debris that crashed into various buildings. Thinking fast, Levi pulled out his flare gun and fired a delayed acoustic round next to her head, the round detonating right in front of her. Elise cried out in agony, her focus completely thrown off as the pieces she was holding in her mental grip crashed to the ground. That one action gave Mikasa enough time to get close enough to sever both her lines, causing the psychopath to fall. As she plummeted to the ground, she launched yet another blast that helped slow her descent, making the lander smoother than it would have been, though still painful.

Levi was on her in an instant, slashing out her. A quick flash of the eyes caused his blades to detach from the hilts, but before she could do anything with the blades, Levi quickly slammed her headfirst into the Wall. Her powers prevented the attack from doing that much damage. She kicked his fractured leg, causing him to stumble, and delivered a sharp hook to his face. Mikasa landed shortly thereafter only to be blasted into a house alongside Levi. For now, the two were out of the fight.

The ground began shaking once more, and Elise was ready and practically drooling as Annie rounded a corner that finally put Elise back in her line of sight.

"You won't leave here alive, Titan," the Psion snarled, looking completely deranged.

 _ **"Yet, I'm still more human than you,"**_ the shifter growled back, taking her stance.

Eyes narrowing in rage, Elise charged at Annie and launched a blast that sent her back several meters, but she hardened her feet to keep herself from stumbling. Deciding to throw off her concentration, Annie swiped the roof with a hardened arm, turning it into debris that plummeted towards the woman. Elise barely dodged the pieces while levitating four blades to her side thanks to the Ackermans' ODM gear. Annie covered her nape quickly and stomped the ground, making her stumble. With a roar, she curled her hand into a fist and brought it down towards her. Ever the athlete, Elise dove forward, getting under Annie before moving agilely behind her, and made two of the blades cut open her Achilles' heels. The Female Titan cried out in pain as she crashed to the ground.

Then, Elise started to laugh. This was it. This was the moment where she would finally kill this freak of nature. The Psion jumped on Annie's back and moved the four blades to her spine, repeatedly cutting into it as she walked up her back. More screams came from the Shifter as felt herself unable to move. However, she was still able to crystallize her nape and protect herself.

"You think that pathetic diamond will save you from me!?" Elise cackled as she approached the nape. "I'm a Psion, and you beasts were meant to die by my hand!"

Her eyes glowed as she targeted Annie herself. The blonde gasped as she felt the nape starting to tear away from her. She concentrated on trying to keep it from shattering, but her strength was waning.

"Come on out, little girl!" Elise taunted as the crystal began to crack. "Come out and play!"

Almost as if by providence, an invisible force threw the Psion off of Annie and onto the ground in front of her. Elise looked up and saw Dillon jump from the roof of a house and land between Annie and Elise. He tossed the ODM gear aside and glared directly at her, stalking forward. He didn't say anything, not even a threat, but there was murder in his eyes.

Usually, this would be the moment where Elise would deliver some sort of taunt or insult, but not today. Her eyes began glowing as she began to levitate Dillon in the air while choking him. It would take a few seconds, but she would kill him. However, he didn't give her the chance as he launched a mental attack directly onto the damaged blocks, causing her to let out a pained shout. Her focus lost, Dillon landed safely on the ground. Growling, Elise prepared for another attack, but Dillon was too quick, striking her internal wounds like a snake. She couldn't concentrate, which was exactly the advantage that Dillon needed, and he capitalized on it in a heartbeat.

He landed a haymaker that made her stagger back. She tried to punch him, but he grabbed her wrist and spun his body, causing his elbow to smash into her face. As she clutched her fractured nose, Dillon performed a high kick that caught her right in the jaw. She continued to stumble back as he punched her in the face over and over and over and refused to let up. He grabbed her by the shoulders and kneed her in the gut three times, breaking her ribs on the third. Elise had the wind knocked out of her as a result and started gasping for air just as his fist collided with her cheek. She fell to her knees, and yet, she still stood back up, ready to launch the most powerful attack she could. However, Dillon's eyes glowed as he lifted his leg. With great speed, he thrust it out and hit Elise's knee, resulting in a sickening snap.

Elise let out a bloodcurdling scream as she fell to the ground. Her leg was bent at an odd angle, and was already beginning to swell. Her scream was short lived as she began coughing harshly, blood pouring from her mouth, though her pained groans remained.

As the adrenaline rush started dying down, Dillon stalked over to her fallen form and pulled her up by her collar, glaring into her eyes. "You brought this upon yourself, Elise," he finally growled. "I don't mean just tormenting and torturing me and the people I love to piss me and everyone else off, but you couldn't bring yourself to finish it. You could've killed us at any time, yet you chose to treat us as your toys. Sure, we'll break, but we'll always get fixed and ready to go for another round with you. You fought to have fun... but I fight to win, and that's why you're lying here choking on your own blood. In hindsight, it's pathetic, isn't it?"

For once, she gave him the reaction he wanted her to have: fear. He could see it in her eyes. He didn't know what she was afraid of. Maybe she was afraid of him, or maybe she was afraid to die, but the reason didn't matter. Not anymore.

He let her go and his eyes started glowing as he raised a piece of debris over her head. It was time to finish it.

 _ **"Dillon, stop!"**_

He froze in his place as he slowly turned to Annie, whose wounds were almost healed. She stared at him, shocked at how brutal he was and worried about what he might do next. "What did you say?" he asked.

 _ **"Stop,"**_ she repeatedly softly.

Dillon couldn't understand it. Elise had taken so much from them, and Annie wanted her to be spared after all that? He looked down at the Psion, who was still looking at him weakly. It would be so easy to kill her. With the power he held, he could punch a hole right in her head. He wanted to kill her so badly…

 _ **"Dillon... I don't want you ending up like her... or me."**_

That plea slowly, but surely, brought him out of his rage. He stared down at the woman, remembering why she came here: revenge. So many people had died in pursuit of it, and even then, she still wasn't satisfied. Revenge would feel so good for a moment, but it would only _be_ for a moment.

Heaving a sigh, he tossed the debris, letting it hit the ground.

 _ **"Thank you,"**_ Annie said, relieved.

He would've responded to her, but gargled, raspy laughing sounded from Elise, which quickly turned to coughing. Despite the serious injuries she obtained, she still had the strength to laugh.

"After... all this time... you don't even have the guts..." She chuckled, even managing a grin and showing her teeth stained with blood.

Letting out a low growl, Annie gently pushed Dillon out of the way as she rose to her full fourteen-meter height, easily towering over her.

"Oh... you want the honor... yourself?" Elise realized.

She shook her head, crystalizing her sole. _**"Don't flatter yourself."**_

"I see. Killing me so he doesn't have to. How romantic." Still grinning, Elise turned her head to the young Psion. "Enjoy the show, Dillon."

 _ **"Dillon, look away,"**_ Annie ordered.

Backing up, he turned around and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Satisfied, Annie raised her foot over Elise' body.

Naturally, Elise faced her impending demise with a taunt. "I'll say hi to Mommy for-."

She cut her off with a single, swift stomp, the enormous weight turning Elise into crushed slab of meat and blood. Moving her foot to grind it into the now dented ground, Annie let out an exhausted sigh. _**"It's over."**_

Slowly, Dillon faced Annie, doing whatever he could to not stare at the bloodstain that was once Elise. "Are you... all right?" he asked hesitantly.

She nodded. _**"I'm fine, but the better question is if you're all right."**_

"I'm tired, need to get patched up in a few places, and my head's killing me, but I'll live."

 _ **"You know that's not what I meant,"**_ Annie stated, giving him a pointed look.

Panting from tiredness, he stared at his hands, thinking about how close he was to doing something so gruesome to Elise. He wanted to do it so badly and if he did, he would've... enjoyed it. He _was_ enjoying the thrashing he delivered unto her. He stared at the reflection in a shard of glass, seeing the blood on his face and finally noticing how animalistic he looked. "I... I wanted to make her pay for what she did, and I... I..." He couldn't even finish.

 _ **"I know."**_ Annie kneeled down and took him into her hands before gently pressing him against her cheek. _**"I know you did... but it's over now."**_

He wrapped his arms around her in the best hug he could manage and rested his cheek against hers, closing his eyes. She could feel his immense relief through their bond that it had finally ended, that Elise was gone.

The people of Stohess slowly started to return to the streets, staring at the Female Titan with shock. Last time, she and Eren leveled the city with their fight, but now, she made a conscious effort to save lives. The majority was still fearful of her presence, but some began to feel a bit conflicted. After all, she prevented a lot of civilians from getting killed by that falling statue.

Slowly, Mikasa and Levi stepped out of the house they crashed into, the former helping Levi walk. His leg was aggravated by the all the action, and he was paying for it.

"Decent job cutting the lines," Levi complemented.

"Thank you, Captain," Mikasa replied. "I'm impressed you were able to hold out as long as you did."

"I'm an Ackerman, Mikasa," he stated. "It's in our blood to persevere."

She nodded in agreement, looking over at the tender moment Annie and Dillon were sharing. "They're really something, aren't they?"

"... I'm not gonna tell you how to live your life, but if I were you... I would tell Eren how you really feel," he advised.

She gave him a surprised look, a faint blush crossing her face. "What?"

"No one lives forever," he told her. "Especially if you're a Scout."

"Captain!" a familiar voice called out.

Levi looked over and saw a worried Hanji landing close to them. "Did you get her out?"

She nodded grimly. "We did, and your Squad is currently escorting her to the hospital here by carriage."

"How bad is it?"

"... She's in a coma."

"Damn it," Levi swore.

"What about Elise?" she wondered.

"She's currently decorating the cobblestone with her blood," he stated bluntly. "Unless she has regeneration abilities greater than the Titans, she won't be coming back."

"All things considered, let's not tempt fate," Hanji advised.

He glanced over at her. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Hanji?"

He promptly earned a swift, soft knee to his wounded leg, a gentle reminder of what the 'real' Hanji would normally do.

Up ahead, Jean made his return and landed on a house across from Annie. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said, looking undeniably smug.

Dillon let out an annoyed sigh before turning to face his best friend. "The irony is not lost on me, Jean."

"Whatever happened to 'it was a one-time thing?'" he questioned, not letting this chance of giving Dillon a hard time slip away. "Couldn't resist the only good-looking Titan in the world, could you?"

 _ **"Jean, before I bury you next to Elise, why don't you bring us up to speed on Matthew?"**_ Annie suggested.

"He's stable," Jean assured. "It'll take a bit for him to recover, but he'll live."

Dillon breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I'm gonna go check... on..." His eyes widened in horror. "What the hell!?"

Annie was confused by his reaction until she followed his gaze towards the Wall and her jaw dropped. _**"Somehow…**_ _ **they**_ _ **completely slipped my mind…"**_

* * *

 **AN: At long last, this arc has come to an end, and we are finally following the main storyline once more in the next chapter. Special thanks to Steel, my hardworking editor who had to deal with a huge amount of rewrites during this segment.**

 **If there was a theme that was central to this arc, it would be closure. The three things Dillon needed to put behind him were his fear of the Female Titan, dealing with the revelation of who his parents are, and his guilt for what happened in Stohess. I was worried that I was riding the angst train a little too long at certain points, but considering all the stuff he had gone through, I believed it was necessary.**

 **So, about Elise… I had a blast writing her. It was like writing a genderbent Joker. I received a few complaints as to the fact that she was a bit overpowered, and I'll respond with this: that was the point. What you saw is how powerful a Psion can become. After all, they were meant to replace the Titans. Because of Elise, so many possibilities have opened as to what Dillon could do in the future and how strong he could become. I'm hoping her defeat was a smart defeat and not a cop-out or a deus ex machina.**

 **All in all, I enjoyed writing this arc tremendously, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. As always, please leave your thoughts in the reviews, and I look forward to seeing you guys in… the Clash of the Titans Arc!**


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: Once again, I apologize for not updating sooner. From here on out, I'm going to try and upload chapters on a weekly basis or a two-week basis for this arc. I don't want keep you guys waiting.**

 **Also 303 reviews. You guys are amazing! Thank you!**

* * *

Chapter 29: The Beast Titan

Due to Elise's actions, there were several holes in the Wall now. However, one of the holes was big enough to reveal something no one expected. It was the skinless face of a Titan that bore similarities to the Colossal Titan. Its eyes slowly drifted downwards, staring directly at the people watching it.

"Oh, my God," Mikasa whispered, mortified.

Hanji shook her head with disbelief. She had seen and heard so many crazy things lately, but this was pure insanity. "That's impossible."

"Annie... why is there a Titan in the Wall?" Dillon asked quietly.

 _ **"... I'll explain later,"**_ she promised, still in shock at seeing that Titan.

Suddenly, Hanji was quickly caught off guard by a hand clapping down on her shoulder. The owner, Pastor Nick, was panting heavily.

"Pastor Nick?" she questioned, surprised.

"Listen to me," he urged, doubled over. "Whatever you do... don't let sunlight touch it!"

Dillon slowly faced the pastor, eyes narrowing. "You knew about this?" he hissed.

"Amsdale, he's not your concern at the moment," Levi interrupted firmly. "Go see your father and get checked out by a medic. Leonhart, help with clean-up. We'll deal with this asshole."

 _"I'll_ deal with him," Hanji corrected, giving the captain a stern look. "You've earned yourself a trip to the doctor."

"Don't give me orders," he growled. "I'm fine."

Once again, she tapped his leg with her foot, causing him to hiss sharply in pain. "How about now?"

Levi glared at her. "Do that again, and I'll break yours."

"Levi... "

He clenched his fist, but ultimately relented. "Fine."

She grinned as he grappled into the air. "I knew you'd come around."

 _ **"I can take you there if you want,"**_ Annie offered to Dillon.

"Thanks, but... I need some time to clear my head," he said.

She nodded in understanding. _**"Then I'll meet you at the hospital."**_ She placed Dillon on the building where Jean was standing before handing him his ODM gear.

"I love you, Annie," Dillon stated, taking his gear back.

 _ **"I love you, too, Dillon."**_ Annie gave him a brief kiss on the forehead before going down to help.

As Dillon was about to put his gear back on, he glanced over at Jean who still had that smirk that demanded someone to punch it off.

"Shut up, Jean," Dillon said flatly before taking off.

After that, the soldiers immediately got to work. A group gathered about 50 blankets and began stitching them together to form a giant quilt that could cover the opening. The other group brought many ropes and spikes to keep the covering from falling off. Once the quilt was completed, the soldiers used their ODM gear to carefully hold it over the hole, ignoring a deep growl coming from the Titan every now and then. While they held it there, the rest of the Scouts pinned it down. For good measure, they lashed it on the other side, the makeshift tarp now secure.

Hanji watched the entire scene in silence. She was at a loss as to what was going on, and she had a feeling Annie could clear a lot of this up. However, what really interested her was the fact that Pastor Nick seemed to know about the Titan. It started to make sense as to why he and his band of Wall Worshippers were so protective of their precious Walls.

Once the Titan had been covered up, Hanji immediately rounded on him as he stared at the repairs. "All right. You wanna tell me what's going on? Why a Titan? What's its purpose? What on Earth's the point of having one hidden inside the Wall? And why choose to keep it a secret?"

Nick didn't respond, purposefully ignoring her.

The Squad Leader was getting aggravated. "I want answers, and I'm want them now!"

Heaving a sigh, he stood up and brushed himself off. "I don't have time for this nonsense! I'm a busy man!" He had the audacity to glare at her. "I have demanded restitution for the destruction of my chapel and the devastation of my flock, and my demands have gone unanswered! Your souls shall be forever damned for allying yourself with that beast! Now, let me down from here this instant!"

Hanji's eyes narrowed. "If that's what you want."

To everyone's surprise, she grabbed the pastor by the collar and dangled him over the edge of the Wall.

"Will _straight_ down do the trick!?" she questioned, enraged.

Moblit's eyes widened in horror. He had never seen her like this before. "Commander-!"

"Hold!" she demanded to him and the rest of the soldiers before returning her attention to Nick. "Let me ask you something: do you have any concept of how many Scouts have laid down their lives fighting these monsters? More than you can count! They died fighting for your freedom!" Her anger caused her to start shaking. "I was with them. I was willing to lay down my own life. Now, you can explain or you can take the plunge. Or maybe I should feed you to that same beast so you can join your precious flock! Your choice! I can always move on to the next blowhard."

Nick was desperately trying to get back up, but she was far stronger than him.

"As a matter of fact, they probably know more than you anyway!" Hanji pushed him further off the ledge, his toes being the only thing left to give way. "Why am I bothering?"

"Let go!" he ordered. "Unhand me!"

She scoffed at his poor choice of words. "That's kind of what I had in mind."

"Do it!" he dared.

"Don't try and call my bluff," she warned dangerously.

"Please, don't!" Moblit pleaded, trying to get her to come to her senses.

"You think I'm afraid to die in the service of my belief?" Nick asked. "We fulfill our duty whatever the cost. I don't care!" He stretched his arms out, making it harder for Hanji to hold onto him. "The Lord is my shepherd! Let his utmost servant fall!"

She was so tempted to give in, to drop him and let this nuisance leave this world for good.

"God, grant release," he prayed, shaking with fear.

Heaving a sigh, Hanji tossed him back onto the surface with surprising strength, prompting him to immediately curl in a ball out of terror. She took a seat on the ledge, chuckling. "Lighten up. I was just kidding around."

The Scouts knew damn well that she wasn't.

"Come on, Pastor Nick," she urged. "Are all the Walls made of Titans? Just tell me that much." She paused for a moment. "You know what? You don't have to say a word, Nick." An unsettling smile appeared on her face. "We don't need you to talk to get what we need."

"Uh, Section Commander?" Moblit asked nervously.

She sighed. "How long has it been since I felt like this? It must've been since I stepped outside the Walls for the first time. Talk about terrifying."

"Makes me wonder what Annie _hasn't_ told us," he replied.

"Given what's going to happen soon, and what has happened, something like this seemed less of a priority to discuss at the time." _Oh, Annie, what more could you tell us? What more can you reveal?_

Suddenly, the bell started ringing, signaling the rapid approach of a Scout on a horse bringing the news the entire Scout Regiment had been waiting for.

"Wall Rose has been breached! Wall Rose has been breached!"

* * *

(Scout Outpost; South of Wall Sina; 7 hours prior to Elise's death)

If there was one thing that Connie Springer knew above all things, boredom was never truly defined until this very moment. He, along with Reiner, Bertholdt, Sasha, Ymir, Krista, and several other cadets he didn't know the names of had been stuck in this outpost ever since they returned from the Expedition. Seven days of being stuck in a dreary outpost being debriefed constantly by the Scouts. Unfortunately, checking out their information was taking longer than it should due to red tape and bureaucracy also known as the Military Police. Until then, they would be stuck here.

Honestly, Connie believed it was a complete waste of time. What more could be said and discovered? The Expedition was a complete wash, there was a Female Titan lurking around (he was so happy he didn't run into her that day), and Eren was going to be handed over to the MPs. There was no point in keeping them here anymore. Hell, this whole place started to feel like a prison. They didn't even have their gear, and they weren't allowed to train until this whole mess was cleared up.

Needless to say, he wasn't the only one getting restless. The other cadets wanted to leave as well, especially Krista. When the description of the Female Titan came about; specifically, the blond hair and blue eyes part, she was immediately put on suspicion for a brief time. It was thanks to Reiner and Ymir's testimonies regarding her whereabouts that day that said suspicions were allayed.

Until such a time as they were released, all he could do was talk about places he'd rather be. "You know, my village happens just a little bit south of where we are now."

"Where I'm from is pretty close, too," Sasha added, sounding just as bored as he was.

The bald-headed soldier let out a sigh. "Why can't I go see my people? Maybe I'll just go sneak out after dark."

"My people told me not to bother coming back home until I'm normal, so no such luck for me," she informed him.

A smirk appeared on his face, reminiscing. "Folks that I grew up with told me I was too puny to be a soldier. No question I have the brains for it. I was in the Top 10 in my class, actually. Somebody's gonna be eating their words. That's a promise."

"Connie," Reiner interrupted, getting up from his fifteenth game of chess with Bertholdt. "I'll help you if you really wanna go."

"Yeah? Why would you?" Connie wondered, glancing over at him.

"Doesn't this feel a bit strange?" he asked back. "We're on standby in our plainclothes and they won't let us wear our uniforms. We can't even train." He walked over to the window, his eyes narrowing at the soldiers below. "What's even more suspicious is that our superiors are armed to the teeth. We're inside the Wall, not the front lines, so who exactly are we fighting?"

"Well, they've been asking us a lot of questions about that Titan chick. Maybe they think _I'm_ the Female Titan," he joked.

Sasha nearly vomited at the thought. "Oh, God, Connie! Seriously!?"

Even Reiner was disturbed, trying to get that image out of his head. "Dude, I'm the only one in this room who actually _saw_ the Female Titan. You being her is just... no! Never again, Connie!"

"Hey, look on the bright side," Ymir said with her own smirk. "If that's the case, we get to kill you."

"And who's to say that _you_ aren't her?" Connie accused in jest.

"Definitely would be a much better sight than you."

"Can we please not have this discussion?" Krista requested quietly. "I may not have witnessed what she did, but... the idea that someone, possibly a friend, could be allied with the monsters that are trying to eat us all... "

"Krista, take it easy," Ymir stated firmly. "Whoever that bitch is won't last long. She can't run forever."

"'Cause we're soldiers and stuff," Sasha mumbled, planting her head onto the table.

"That's one of way of putting it," Reiner replied dryly.

And just like that, the mood went straight back to absolute boredom.

On top of the lookout tower, Mike Zacharias stared at the forest, keeping his senses open. Today was the last day of Annie's requested week-long delay to the Beast Titan. He considered themselves highly fortunate that the Titan Shifter complied to her request so far. It gave them time to be prepared and have the opportunity to catch _them_ by surprise for a change.

Per his request, Erwin sent some reinforcements for advanced teams to be used as warnings for the Titans' approach. They were given orders to lay traps such as barriers containing hidden cannons, or spike pits to trip them up. That being said, after the traps were activated and the flares were fired to signal their approach, the Scouts would retreat to a rendezvous point for further instructions.

With him stood a tall, blonde-haired woman named Nanaba and a man who resembled Mike but with black hair named Tomas. Both were senior members of the Scouts, having been part of the regiment since before the fall of Wall Maria. The three had been intensively planning out their defense and counterattack against the incoming attack and helped figure out what to do regarding the moles in their regiment: Reiner and Bertholdt. Tomas had been adamant about capturing them now, but the risk of them shifting during the attempted capture was too great. The original plan was to have Eren and Annie arrive with a large team of Scouts in order to subdue them if things went bad, but considering that they were dealing with their own problems regarding that powerful Psion, they were on their own for the time being. Once an opportunity arose, the Shifters would be taken down hard and fast.

"They're getting restless," Tomas noted.

"Unsurprising," Mike replied. "Confined to a single building will make one go stir-crazy."

"We've kept the charade on for this long," Nanaba added, "but I'm concerned that the Shifters will try something soon."

The Section Leader nodded in agreement. "A valid concern to be sure, but as long as they don't suspect that we know, they have no reason to blow their cover just yet."

She let out a sigh. "I hope so, sir."

"Don't let them see you sweat, Nanaba," Mike advised. "We can't afford to lose our nerve now."

"Yes, sir," she responded.

In the far distance, however, they finally saw what they've been waiting to see: several red flares firing into the sky along with a couple black ones.

Mike's eyes narrowed. "They're here. Tomas, ride out there. Take three couriers with you. Notify the districts! We've got multiple Titans coming in from the south! Wall Rose has been compromised."

"Yes, sir!" Tomas replied, zooming towards the ground quickly.

He turned to Nanaba. "Gather the 104th. It's time."

* * *

(Forward Line)

"Open fire!" a Squad Leader ordered.

From on top of a large, log barricade, three cannons took down a couple of ten meters that got close.

"Burn in hell, you bastards!" one soldier crowed.

A swarm of Titans had appeared roughly two minutes ago, about 15 of them, and, as ordered, the Scouts were ordered to delay them with the preexisting traps. Judging from the flares in the far distance, the other checkpoints were getting hit as well. At least the advanced warnings were gonna pay off.

However, one Titan, a thirteen-meter, came charging towards them at full speed.

"Go!" the Squad Leader yelled, grappling away from the barricade.

In the nick of time, the other Scouts got away just as the Titan smashed right into it, toppling the entire thing, though the mindless beast collapsed to the ground in the process, buried under the fallen logs. Seemingly inspired, some of the Titans started making a mad dash for the Scouts, who quickly started to flee on their horses. Fortunately, in the event of a chase, there was a backup plan.

One Titan stepped on a certain part of the ground, and it gave way, revealing a large pit of blades pointing up. Its foot was impaled, causing the monster to fall, accidentally tripping up the pursuing Titans behind it.

Satisfied, the Squad Leader dished out his next orders. "Fall back to the rendezvous point immediately for further orders!"

"Yes, sir!"

 _This should have bought enough time for the Districts to get evacuated._ He thought. _We might just have a chance after all._

* * *

(Scout Outpost; South of Wall Sina)

Nanaba quickly grappled over to the building's window and opened it. "Is everyone here?"

"What is it, Squad Leader?" Krista asked, concerned.

"We've got company," she stated as she stepped inside. "Approximately 800 meters to the south and closing. Titans heading this way."

The cadets recoiled in horror, unable to believe it.

"There's no time to suit up in your ODM gear. I want everyone on a horse stat! Evacuate every home and settlement in the area. Get to it!"

Connie's eyes were wide with shock. "The... the south? But that's... "

"Now!" Nanaba shouted to the frozen cadets.

As they were scrambling towards the stables, Mike continued to stare into the distance. He couldn't quite see them, but he began to smell them. If the advanced warning team did the trick, then they should've slowed the Titans down.

Finally, the Titans made their presence known, coming over the hill towards them. Almost all of them were the same giant humanoids, but with them was a three-meter Titan with an egg-shaped face and a pointed nose, easily claiming the ugliest Titan award.

"Nine Titans in that horde over there," Mike stated once Nanaba returned.

"How could they have broken through Wall Rose without the Colossal Titan?" she questioned.

"A mystery that will have to wait until later," he replied. "For now, we stay the course and keep an eye on the Shifters. Should they show any signs of becoming hostile, take them down quickly."

She nodded. "Understood."

Once the Scouts mounted their steeds, they took off down the road towards the forest.

"The second the Titans reach the woods, we split up!" Mike stated. "I want four separate teams, recruits and soldiers alike in each unit! When I give the signal, we'll scatter in different directions simultaneously. Get the word out to civilians. Do not engage the enemy!" He looked back at the recruits. "Which one of you is most familiar with the area?"

"Uh, me!" Sasha answered, raising a hand. "Sir, my hometown's just to the north of here! I know this region like the back of my hand! Connie, too. Go on, tell them!"

He didn't respond, seemingly in a daze.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"My village," he said quietly. "My village is to the south. That's where the Titans are coming from!

There was a brief, solemn pause in response. If that was the case, that it was more than likely that his people were wiped out.

However, Connie was going to find out the truth himself. "I can lead you to nearby settlements, but afterwards, let me go home. Please!"

"... Very well," Mike conceded. "Guide the Southern team. Then, go to your village."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll come with you," Reiner offered once more.

"What? No, you're crazy," he shot back. "They'll be everywhere."

The tall blonde smirk. "You think I care? I was gonna help you get home anyway, wasn't I?" He glanced at Bertholdt. "What about you? Coming?"

Bertholdt thought about for a moment before nodding. "Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Once that was taken care of Nanaba spoke her piece. "As you have guessed, today marks the darkest hour in humanity's history. Look sharp! If you ever needed to give your all, that time is now. Give heart!"

"They breached the woods!" a soldier pointed out. "The enemy is on top of us!"

"Scatter now!" Mike commanded. "Ride for everything you're worth!"

On cue, the cavalry split up into four teams, all heading in their specified directions.

The approaching Titans spotted the Scouts and stopped for a moment, as if contemplating the situation. Then, they charged towards them at alarming speed, ready to kill and eat.

"No, they're coming at us full tilt," Mike realized as the monsters were drawing closer quicker than expected.

"Holy shit!" were the appropriate words that left Connie's mouth.

Mike narrowed his eyes, knowing what had to be done. "Gelgar! Take charge of the Southern team!" he ordered as he galloped straight towards the horde of Titans.

"Sir!?" the man in question replied, confused for a moment that passed instantly. "Uh, understood."

"Tell me he's not going to use himself as bait," a female Scout pleaded, surprised.

"I'll go with him," a male Scout offered. "I can help."

"Stay where you are," Gelgar interjected. "We can't spare anymore soldiers. Give him some credit. That man's skill is second only to Captain Levi. He'll make it back alive. Count on it!"

Determined to get this done, the Southern team pushed forwards. Time was of the essence, and humanity's fate rested in their hands.

* * *

(Hospital; Present time)

Silently, Dillon leaned against the wall outside his father's room. His face had a few bandages on it along with his ribcage and his hands thanks to the beatings he gave and took, but other than that, he was relatively fine. Regarding Matthew, according to the doctors, it was a successful surgery and he pulled through the worst of it. Unfortunately, he was asleep and not allowed to be disturbed at this time.

 _Probably for the best._ He reasoned. _He has to focus on healing._

His thoughts drifted back to Elise once again as he thought about their fight and the end result. Part of him was upset that he wasn't the one to finish her off, to be the one to kill her. That thought alone scared him. It made him wonder what he was going to do when the time came to go after Reiner and Bertholdt, the other Shifters that started it all five years ago. He wanted to pay them back for the suffering they caused over the past five years and the people they killed, especially that petty Bertholdt... and yet, they were once his friends.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps approaching him. Glancing to his right, he saw that it was Eren, of all people. "What are you doing here?" he asked, trying not to sound confrontational.

"I was looking for you," Eren explained. "I figured you wanted to know what happened to your mom."

Dillon cursed himself for completely forgetting about her. "Is she going to be all right?"

The Shifter looked away for a moment, heaving a sigh. "We got her to a hospital in the Capitol, but... she's in a coma."

Coma. One of the few words that he never wanted to be associated with anyone he knew. Ninety percent of people who went into one never woke up again. Still, there was hope to be had since Dillon and Matthew were Psions. It would be risky, trying to fix it, but it's a risk they would be willing to take. It didn't make the news any easier to take though.

"I'm sorry," Eren said genuinely.

"Don't be," Dillon replied quietly. "You guys got her out, and she's still alive. I can't thank you enough for that."

"Of course."

"... You know, I thought you would be with Mikasa," he said after a brief pause.

"She's getting patched up," Eren explained. "Along with acquiring new wounds from today, the ones on her back opened up. She'll be okay, though."

"Good."

There was another awkward silence between the two as they tried to figure out what to say next.

Sighing, Dillon began heading out. "Thanks for telling me."

"... That's not the only reason I came here," Eren pointed out suddenly.

He stopped in his tracks, turning back around. "What is it, then?"

"... Mikasa and I want to speak to you," he stated.

"Lead the way, then." _Get better soon, Pops._

As the Psion followed Eren, he began thinking about this whole situation. From the beginning, their relationship had always been confrontational. Every time they tried to form some kind of truce, something would happen that would put them right back at square one. And considering what happened in regard to Annie, tensions were worse. Hell, Mikasa tried to kill him. Still, he figured he should at least hear them out.

After a few minutes of walking, Eren opened the door to the room where the Ackerman was. Like Dillon, she didn't have a lot of bandages on her. However, she was in a sitting position on her bed, indicating that the injuries from the night before were still hurting.

"Hey, Mikasa," Dillon greeted in a neutral tone.

"Amsdale," she replied evenly.

"... So, what's this about?" he questioned.

She let out a tired sigh. "I wanted to apologize for... trying to kill you. I was too caught up in my anger and I let it dictate my actions."

"... For what it's worth, I understand," Dillon replied after a moment. "I was trying to keep alive someone who almost ensured our demise, who almost took away the one person you care for most."

"But now... I realize how far you're willing to go for humanity, and I should never have doubted it."

The Psion nodded, taking a seat in a nearby chair. "Let me tell you guys something I haven't told anybody save for a few people. If Annie continued her rampage that day, I would've taken her down by any means necessary... provided I was still alive. I love her, but nothing would ever have made me side with her. No matter why she was trying to complete her mission, she had to be stopped. I didn't choose to save her just because she was my girlfriend. I saved her... because I knew I was the only one who could end it without any more lives being lost in the process."

"... No matter how we feel about Annie and your choices, it was the right call in the end," Eren admitted. "It's like Armin told me: we have a better chance of obtaining our freedom now... but make no mistake." He gave him a stern look. "If she steps out of line once... she's dead."

"And you will be, too." Mikasa added simply.

"I'd expect nothing less," Dillon replied. "So long as you two can put your hatred of Annie aside for the duration, especially you." He returned the stern look to Eren.

"We will," Eren assured.

"Eren! Mikasa!" a voice interrupted from the other side of the door

The three looked to see Armin bust open the door, panting heavily once he reached them. He was surprised to see Dillon there, but he brushed it off quickly. There were far more pressing matters.

"Armin, what's going on!?" Eren questioned, concerned.

"They've broken through Wall Rose!" he stated. "The Titans are coming!"

 _And there goes any chance of getting a moment to breathe._ Dillon thought to himself before focusing on the task at hand. "We knew this day was coming. Let's go!"

* * *

(Scout Outpost)

With a battle cry, Mike sliced open the nape of another Titan, its lifeless body plummeting to the ground. He landed on top of the rooftop, surveying the damage. Five Titans were killed and four remained. Two ten-meters, that weird three-meter, and... him.

There he was, circling the area as if on patrol. He stood at a height of seventeen meters or more, covered in fur. He resembled a giant ape and acted like an Abnormal, but Mike knew better. This was the Beast Titan, the leader of the Titan Shifters. The warning from the letter Commander Erwin sent him rang in his mind when told about this monster: _"Avoid a fight with him if you can."_

The Section Leader clenched his swords tightly, trying to figure a way out of this. His tanks were half-empty, and what spare supplies he had were destroyed during the Titan attack. Options were limited and the chances of surviving were equally limited. Worse yet was that he didn't want to let the Shifter know that they were onto him.

 _The only course of action left is to fall back._ Mike reasoned. _However, I must prevent these Titans from pursuing me._

Taking a deep breath, he launched himself to a tree, prompting one of the ten-meter Titans to pursue him. He quickly circled around and cut through its nape just as the other ten-meter came at him, jaw wide. Narrowly, he dodged getting eaten and slashed its eyes, blinding it. The Titan could do nothing as Mike followed up with the killing blow. He landed on another tree, panting heavily as the creature collapsed. That just left the five-meter and the Beast Titan.

He heard movement from behind and instinctively grappled away as a massive arm took down the trees. It seemed like the Titan Shifter was getting into the battle now. He went back to the building, staring at him with determination that masked his fear.

 **"... You humans are very resourceful,"** the Beast Titan commented in a deep voice, catching Mike completely off-guard.

 _He... he can talk._ The man thought, staggering back in shock.

The Beast Titan used his surprise to his advantage by picking up one of the fallen trees and swinging it at the building. Frantically, Mike jumped off in the nick of time as it was destroyed in a single blow. He was running out of high points, which was the intention of this creature. Barely, his foot escaped getting bitten off by that annoying three-meter and landed on one of the remaining trees. Deciding it was time to get out of there, Mike let out a loud whistle for his horse.

He spotted his steed in the distance just as the Beast Titan went at him again. Mike leapt off the tree and impaled his hooks into him. The Shifter was surprised by the bold approach, and had no time to react as Mike slashed out his eyes. The monster let out a pained roar as he gripped his face. Quickly, Mike was able to get on his horse and made a full retreat with the three-meter hot on his tail. Of course, the Section Leader pulled out a flare gun and fired point-blank at its head. The Titan crashed to the ground, blinded by the attack, as Mike made his way towards the rendezvous point.

Steam erupted from the Beast Titan's eyes, initiating the healing process. He was impressed by how prepared the humans were for another attack, even more so at that human's tenacity. Yet, the fact that they were so prepared for them made him feel like something wasn't right. He shook off for a moment, deciding it was best to pursue that line of thought later. Right now, he had a job to do. With all this chaos, his comrades should have enough time to get the Coordinate and flee the Walls. Then, they could all go home.

* * *

 **AN: Until the next time, my friends.**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Secret of the Walls

(Ragako Village)

"Connie, slow down!" Reiner yelled. "Get a hold of yourself! There could be Titans around every corner! Wait for us!"

The bald-headed recruit paid him no heed as he rode faster towards his village. Even from afar, he could see the damage. The houses were demolished, indicating that the Titans did in fact tear this place up. It was unthinkable to see this happen to his home town. Still, he clung onto whatever fleeting hope he had.

"Hello!?" Connie called out once he reached the middle of the village. "Can anybody hear me!?"

There was no answer and there would never be one again.

He was unable to take this as he began screaming at the top of his lungs. "Somebody, please! It's Connie! I CAME HOME!"

His voice echoed in the empty village and yet, there was still no reply. Desperately, he began riding towards his house.

"Dad, Mom, Sunny, and Martin…please just… be okay," he begged.

He wasn't paying attention so when he looked up, he pulled on the reins sharply to avoid crashing into the one thing he never wanted to see.

Lying on its back and looking right at him was a yellow-eyed Titan with blonde hair. What made things worse was the fact that this thing was lying right on top of Connie's home. It couldn't be true, but there was the proof right in front of him: the Titans killed his family.

Reiner rode up to him with Bertholdt right behind him and tried pulling him back by the collar. "Connie, get back!"

"It's… my house," he whispered, his eyes not leaving the Titan. "I…"

Reiner sighed sadly. "Connie…"

Gelgar quickly caught up, getting between them and the Titan, sword raised. "Cadets, fall back!"

"I'll scout out the area!" Lynne, the other Scout who went with them, assured.

Gelgar circled the Titan, shocked by the sight of its shriveled arms and legs. "What the hell? This is new. It can't move."

"Not with those legs," Lynne added.

"But then… I don't understand," he replied, confused. "How did it even get here?" He shook it off for the moment. "Everyone, dismount and check for survivors. We need to give our horses a rest."

The next twenty minutes was a blur to Connie. He didn't remember Gelgar handing him an unlit torch since it was going to get dark soon, and he barely remembered checking a few houses for any signs of his people. When he didn't find them, he went straight back to his home, staring at the ground.

Finally, Bertholdt and Reiner regrouped with him, the former carrying a torch as well.

"Connie, did you find any survivors?" Reiner asked.

"No," he answered as his eyes welled up with tears. "No! It's…it's in ruins! My hometown has been completely wiped out!"

Grieved by this, Reiner approached Connie and gripped his shoulder tightly. There was nothing he could say to make him feel better about this tragedy. All they could do was move past this.

"Hey, something's wrong," Gelgar announced once their search was complete. "You find any bodies?"

"No," Reiner answered.

"No, not yet," Bertholdt added.

"How is that even possible?" their Squad Leader wondered. "Titans ransack the place and there's not a speck of-?"

"Maybe they fled," Lynne interrupted hopefully. "The villagers, I mean. They all escaped! Uh, your family, too!"

Connie's demeanor changed as hope filled his body. "You think so? You think they're alive?"

"Um…yeah, sure. It's the only logical explanation why'd there be no trace of… well, carnage." Even she didn't seem convinced of her own theory.

Gelgar stared at the place, confused more than anything. The buildings were demolished, yet the horses remained untouched. If the villagers escaped, why wouldn't they take the fastest way out of here? There were too many questions, and none of them were gonna get answered at this rate.

"Anyone not have a torch?" When no one spoke up, he went on. "Okay, let's move! Our mission is to evaluate the breach."

"Sir!" Bertholdt replied as he and the others followed Gelgar.

Connie saddled up as quickly as he could, trying to get his mind off the worst-case scenario. He told himself over and over that Lynne was right, that his people were safe somewhere. It had to be the explanation. He mounted his horse, ready to take off after the others.

 **"…wel…welcome home…"**

Time came to a complete stop. A voice familiar yet foreign at the same time from behind him. Slowly, Connie turned his head back to his house, back to the Titan. It was grunting in what appeared to be pain, yet he heard it talk in a distinctly female voice. He began to really take notice the Titan's appearance; specifically, its yellow eyes. They were the same color as his.

A wave of horror passed through him as a terrible, impossible thought crossed his mind. "Did… did I…?"

Suddenly, Reiner grabbed him by the shoulder. "Hey, snap out of it! We're falling behind Gelgar and the others."

"Did you hear that!?" Connie questioned frantically. "You had to! I swear that Titan-!"

"It was only your imagination," he interrupted angrily. "I didn't hear a damn thing. Focus on the mission!"

"But I… it sounded… I don't know how, but it sounded… like my Mo-."

"Damn it, Connie!" Reiner exclaimed. "Do you even know how serious our situation is right now!? If we don't see this through, people will die in the hundreds of thousands! Just because your family escaped doesn't mean they're out of the woods yet. Now, do you wanna be a soldier or don't you!?" He didn't even wait for a reply, taking off.

"Yeah… stay focused," Connie told himself, cracking the whip. "I'm a soldier!"

After that declaration, he chased after them, leaving behind his home for good and putting the Titan's voice out of his mind. It was just his imagination.

* * *

(Western Team; Seven Hours after Titan Spotting)

"The closer we get to the Wall, the less populated the area will be," Henning, the Scout paired with Nanaba, stated.

"That's good," Nanaba replied. "It didn't take us very long." She glanced over at Krista and Ymir. "All right. Let's head to the south."

"What's the point?" Ymir asked. "Last I heard, there aren't any villagers south of here."

"We've raised the alarm for everyone in the region," she explained. "Now we pinpoint the breach. The idea is to ride along the Wall from the west until we do."

Ymir couldn't believe this. "Seriously? You know Krista and I don't have our battle gear, right? What are we supposed to do about Titans? The south will be crawling with them. If we can't defend ourselves, you might as well serve us on a platter. Why not let the two of us withdraw from the front?"

Krista looked over to her, surprised she would suggest such a thing. "Ymir!"

"Negative," Nanaba stated. "When we find where they're coming in, I'll need someone to relay it to HQ. I know you're scared, but like it or not, that's part of the job."

She let out a soft growl, but she didn't argue the point further.

Krista, however, decided to confront her. "Ymir, look, I'm aware of what I've gotten myself into."

Ymir glanced over her shoulder, giving her a look of disbelief.

"Come on. Hey, no one made me join the Scouts and you know it. I… I chose it for myself. I know you chose it for a different case."

"What!? You think I signed up for all this crap because of you!?" she exclaimed with a glare.

"What other reason could you have for being here? Before the results were released, you tried talking me into joining the Military Police until you were blue in the face. You bowed out so I would be eligible. Don't try to deny it! I know I wasn't good enough to be that close to getting to the Top 10 on my own. Ask anybody. When it comes to skill, you're the better soldier by far. I have no idea how you did it, but… why? Why do that for me?"

Ymir didn't answer her, avoiding her gaze.

"My family?" she guessed quietly. "That's it, isn't it?

"Sure, why not?" Ymir replied with a smirk. "Relax. Don't worry about it so much. Take my word for it, sweetie. I'm only looking out for number one."

"…Really?"

For a moment, Ymir thought her tone indicated that she was hurt by her remarks, but when she looked back, Krista had a wonderful smile on her face.

"That's such a relief," she said joyfully.

Ymir had no idea how to respond to that. All she could think of was how insane that girl was.

* * *

(Southern Team; Eleven hours after the Titan Spotting)

Dusk had fallen upon Wall Rose, but the clouds made the environment pitch black. Only with the help of their torches were the Southern Team able to see. Unfortunately, the range was very minimal and they were unable to see past a 20-foot radius.

Needless to say, they were all freaking out on the inside. None of them had seen the breach so far, so they believed that they were getting close to it. That meant that the chances of running into Titans was extremely high at the moment. Though Titans were inactive during the night, the presence of the flames might be enough to stir them into attacking. The heavy breathing they could hear from each other, though mostly from Gelgar, wasn't helping.

Suddenly, they spotted flames in the distance and soon enough, their group was joined by the Western Team, who bore the same fearful expressions as they did.

"So, you followed the Wall here, I take it?" Gelgar asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them.

"That's right," Nanaba confirmed. "I assume you found the breach, then?"

His eyes widened. "Huh?"

"We didn't see any irregularities along the western route." She began having a sinking feeling. "Surely you must've seen something in the east."

"…No. The Wall's perfectly intact."

Both groups stared at each other as that statement sunk in. The fact that the Titans were inside Wall Rose yet they didn't breach the Wall was staggering.

"Well, maybe we just overlooked it," Lynne suggested nervously.

"Not likely," Hanning stated. "A hole big enough for Titans to get through? No way."

"I suggest we have another pass, then," Gelgar said, wanting this whole thing to be done with already.

"That's goes without saying," Nanaba replied. "Trouble is our horses are on the verge of collapse and so are we. If only we had more light."

As if her prayer had been answered, the clouds parted to reveal a full moon shining down on them, lighting the way around them.

Gelgar was about to comment on the timely miracle when he noticed something in the distance. "Hey, what's that?"

In the distance was a ruined castle with its prominent features, two towers that were connected by a small bridge, the only thing that indicated that this structure used to be a castle. The walls were missing, but at least it was a place they could take shelter at for the night.

Slowly, the combined groups traveled towards the ruins, finally done with this long day.

* * *

(Stohess)

While the civilians were fast asleep, the Scouting Regiment was not. The moment the news reached them regarding Wall Rose's invasion, they began their preparations. Supplies needed to be gathered and they needed more soldiers for the upcoming fight. The plan was for them to ride to Ehrmich District, gather any information regarding the invasion, then ride out to destroy all the Titans within the Walls and deal with the Armored and Colossal Titans.

While she didn't show it, Annie was a little anxious about the whole thing. There were so many ways things could go wrong. If what happened when the Scouts tried to capture her proved anything, it was that the second Reiner and Bertholdt get suspicious, they would transform and fight it out like she did. Not to mention how highly likely it was for the Beast Titan to show up during all this, especially once he figured out she betrayed them. However, she calmed herself down with the knowledge that if things got dicey, they would be able to handle it.

"That looks good on you," a familiar voice commented.

She rolled her eyes as she turned to face her boyfriend. "Say what you will about the Scouts. They have really good cloaks."

He nodded in agreement, though he could feel her discomfort. He had an idea as to why, but he wanted her to tell him. "...What's with the discomfort, Annie?"

Annie sighed, looking at the Wings of Freedom emblem that was now ordained on her uniform. "It feels wrong for me to wear this. Not too long ago, I-."

Dillon put his hands on her shoulders, cutting her off. "Hey… it won't do you any good thinking about that. You know that."

"It's hard not to," she admitted.

"It's going to be okay," he promised. "This will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have changed and that you truly fight for humanity."

"I'm guessing killing a psychopathic Psion didn't count."

"Maybe not, but it was a good start for some people."

Annie looked over his shoulder and saw Eren and Mikasa climbing into a large wagon with Armin speaking to them about something. "Looks like we're about to get a move on."

He gave her a kiss on the lips. "I've got your back."

She smiled at him. "And I've got yours."

The two walked over to the wagon where the trio took notice of them.

"Hey, how'd clean-up go?" Armin asked.

"Wasn't a whole lot to fix," Annie replied. "Probably confused the hell out of the District more than anything."

"I bet," Eren muttered. "So… we have Titans in the Walls now. Wanna shed some light on that?"

"I'll explain once the others arrive," Annie assured.

Wisely, Dillon and Annie waited for Armin to get in before taking their seats next to them, Annie sitting on the end. The five of them sat in an awkward silence as they waited for the Scouts to finish up. Despite what Eren and Mikasa said, there was still unresolved tension between them and Annie, and for good reason.

 _"Really wish we had our own wagon right now,"_ Dillon thought.

 _"Can't do anything about that now,"_ Annie responded. _"Just don't say anything unless they do."_

Fortunately, it was nearly time for the Scouts to depart as Erwin rode in front of the group, a determined look on his face. Since it would be pitch black, many of the soldiers held torches to light the way and the wagons contained lanterns. As Mikasa tightened the Scout cloak around Eren, claiming that he was going to get cold, Hanji finally arrived with Pastor Nick and Levi in tow.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said sheepishly. "Took longer to prepare than I thought."

Armin's eyes widened when he saw the pastor sit between Hanji and Levi. "He's a… he's a priest from the Order of the Walls."

"I know!" Hanji wrapped her arm around Nick as if they were good buddies. "Ol' Nick and I are thick as thieves!" She let out a laugh at the situation. "It's fine. Makes about as much sense for him being here as the rest of us, don't you think? We're… random."

Dillon gave her a confused look, shaking his head as he tried to wrap his head around that statement. "I… I don't…"

"No, on the contrary," Levi corrected. "Erwin's thrown us together for a reason. Leonhart, sit next to Hanji. You look like you're about to suffocate."

Nodding, the blonde did as he said.

"Open the gate!" Erwin ordered. Once that was accomplished, he addressed his troops. "The status of Wall Rose is unclear, but everything up to Ehrmich is safe. That's the route we'll be taking. Let's move out!"

"Yes, sir!" the Scouts exclaimed.

"You heard him," Levi said.

"Sir!" the driver responded.

The Scouts followed Erwin down the path toward Ehrmich, making sure to keep a firm grip on their torches.

Dillon stared at the gate of Stohess once they passed through, more than relieved to be away from that District. He truly hoped there would be no reason for him to go back.

Armin stared in the same direction he did, but he had different things on his mind. "This whole time… Titans have been protecting us from other Titans."

"Ironic, isn't it?" Annie replied, glancing at Nick. "What's got me curious is how this Wall Worshipper knew about them and why he's so desperate to keep it under wraps?"

"Wait, wait, back up!" Eren interrupted, this being news to him. "You're joking, right? He knew and he kept quiet!"

"Uh-huh," Hanji confirmed. "Afraid so. Just about sums up where we are with him. Cat's out of the bag now, of course. He's not willing to talk yet, but we have a couple of ways to get him to talk. First, we're going to see how he feels about a harsh dose of reality. Faith keeps him quiet. Firsthand experience, though…"

"To hell with that!" the Shifter stated, getting into Nick's face. "No, we're doing this backwards! If this son of a bitch knows something, then he needs to come out with it! Humanity's on the brink of extinction and all you care about is keeping your oath!?"

"Hey, take it easy!" Mikasa warned, pulling him back before glancing at Annie. "Honestly, I don't see the point. We already have someone who can explain all this."

"Like Annie said, the fact that he knows about any of this is off," Dillon stated grimly. "Obviously, he and his band of Wall Worshippers have quite a reach around here. I wouldn't be surprised if _they're_ the reason history books about the outside world are forbidden."

Levi put in his two cents on the matter. "You know, Amsdale, instead of playing guessing games and hoping that he'll spill his guts once we reach Ehrmich, why don't you see what you can find with your abilities?"

"That was the second option," Hanji added.

The young Psion let out a sigh. "I don't know how strong his mind is, but I'll see what I can find. I can already tell he's prepared to resist, so it's going to hurt a lot."

"Does it look like we care?" Levi asked.

"Just get ready to hold him down, Captain."

Dillon's eyes began to glow as he entered into Nick's mind. The man began grunting in pain as his mind was being pried into against his will. However, to the others' surprise, they saw the Psion begin to bleed a bit, prompting Annie to kick his leg hard enough to snap him out of it. Nick didn't suffer any injuries save for a massive headache.

"What happened?" Hanji asked, concerned.

"Mind's still a bit of a wreck," Dillon admitted, wiping the blood off his face. "Not mention he has pretty good defenses. I can try again."

"I knew we should've left you behind," Annie muttered.

"Don't bother," Levi said, pulling out his flintlock and jamming it into the side of the priest. "There's more than one way to get at the truth. Granted, I may not be in top form at the moment, but it doesn't take my strength to squeeze a trigger. That said, I'm genuinely hoping I won't have to blow a hole in you to settle this. How about you?"

"Threatening him doesn't work, Levi," the Section Commander told him. "Trust me on that." Sighing, she looked at Annie. "So… what's the deal with the Titans in the Walls?"

"A contingency plan," she explained. "100 years ago, when the capital of Eldia was relocated here, the King used the powers of the Coordinate to order many Colossal Titans to harden themselves into those Walls. It wasn't just for defensive purposes, but as a warning to Marley. He sent out a message to them that if they tried to attack, he would use the Colossal Titans to, and I quote, 'flatten the Earth.'"

"How many are in these Walls?" Armin wondered.

"According to the King… tens of millions."

Everyone gaped at her, flabbergasted by the high number. The pastor was the exception, still keeping silent and looking down at the floor.

"Tens… of _millions!?_ " Eren repeated.

Annie nodded. "It could've been hyperbole, but there are a lot of Colossal Titans in these Walls."

"That would explain why you and your former comrades took out the gates," Levi said. "Didn't want to unleash those Titans."

"That's right. If Marley ever got their hands on the Coordinate, everyone here would be screwed. It took careful planning to make sure the four of us wouldn't unleash hell on Marley when we began our mission."

Dillon raised an eyebrow. "Wait, four? There's another Titan Shifter here?"

"…No," she answered quietly. "Not anymore. Reiner, Bertholdt, and I were accompanied by another Shifter named Marcel. He was the appointed leader of our team, and he was someone I respected a great deal of… but he was eaten by a Titan so that Reiner wasn't."

"I'm sorry you lost him," he replied sincerely.

Hanji was about to comment on the fact that there was another Titan Shifter somewhere on the island, but a look from Levi stopped her. While the others knew about the truth regarding humanity, the Marleyans, and how many Titan Shifters there were, they were spared a few key things. When Annie explained to them how Eldians became Titan Shifters, they agreed not to tell Eren until things died down. They needed him to focus on the matter at hand. Once Reiner and Bertholdt were taken care of, they could start letting the others in on the details.

"And you think I'm this Coordinate?" Eren questioned suddenly. "Is that why you tried to kidnap me?"

"Yes."

"What makes you think that?" he pressed.

She was spared from answering when Levi interrupted them. "I wouldn't put too much thought into that, Eren. Last thing I need is for you to get eaten while trying to control Titans with a power you may or may not have. We'll find out if that's the case when we're _not_ in a delicate situation."

Eren let out a sigh. "Yes, sir."

While they were talking, Hanji examined the piece of crystal once more. There was a working possibility going through her mind now that she knew about the Wall Titans.

"That your good luck charm now?" Annie asked.

"You're not that far from the mark," the scientist told her before showing it to the others. "This is a hardened piece of skin left behind by the Female Titan."

Armin stared at her, surprised once more. "It didn't vanish!?"

"No," she answered. "This piece broke off during the battle between you two. It didn't evaporate. It didn't simply go poof. So, that got me thinking and when I compared it to a sliver of the Wall thanks to Elise's efforts, its texture and composition were, for all intents and purposes, virtually identical. If what Annie told us is true, we're protected by barriers of consolidated Titan skin."

Annie began to realize where she was going with this and she couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head. "Of course."

Armin seemed to have reached the same conclusion. "So, then that means-!"

Hanji slammed her hand on top of his mouth, preventing him from speaking. "Easy! It's rude to steal someone else's thunder!

 _Does she not know the definition of personal space?_ Dillon wondered as he scooted towards the edge.

Refusing to remove her hand in case Armin spilled the beans, she went on. "As it stands, we'd be hard-pressed to find a big enough rock to plug up Wall Rose. It'd have to be just the right shape and size and we don't have specifics yet. But on the other hand, where there's a will there's a way. Picture Annie utilizing her hardening ability while in Titan form."

All eyes went to the Shifter in question who gave Hanji an amused look. "You want me to fix all the holes in the Walls with my hardening ability. And you know this will work how?"

"Your hardened skin is composed of the same material with a more… sparkling addition to it," she said, finally releasing Armin. "If you transform back once the hardening is complete, it shouldn't dissolve. Think of it like… sealing a wound or two."

"Hanji, what you're asking me to do is crystalize my entire Titan form and then some," she stated, sounding unsure of herself. "I'm not saying it's impossible, but that's going to require a lot of power and concentration."

"Then it will require a lot of power and concentration," Levi replied, giving her a stern look. "It's not a matter of _if_ you can do it. You either will or you won't. That's the reality. Our comrades are breaking their backs, but without you, it's nothing. Failure isn't an option."

"Then I'll seal the Walls," Annie promised, a look of determination on her face.

Dillon, however, knew something was troubling her, but he didn't ask about it. He already knew what she was thinking about: would she survive the process?

"Anyone else have any thoughts on this?" Hanji asked.

"Well, anything worthwhile takes a little risk," Armin admitted. "If we can manage to shore up Wall Rose, Wall Maria starts to look very promising. Vital as it is, the outpost's infrastructure slows us to a crawl. The time and resources needed to transport materials are immense… but if supply wagons don't have to be accommodated, we can make our way towards Shiganshina much faster. And what if we decided to carry out our plan in the dead of night?"

"Night?" Hanji repeated, liking where this was going.

He nodded, getting a little excited about the idea. "Yes. When the Titans are effectively motionless."

"That's not bad," she replied. "In fact, it's genius particularly if the group is small enough to slip by undetected."

"You always were an effective planner, Armin," Annie complemented. "However, we need to deal with the other Shifters first. It wouldn't do good for the Wall to get sealed just for them to break it down once more."

"Agreed," Dillon added. "With them out of the way, we'll have a far better chance of sealing the hole in Shiganshina."

"We're here," Hanji announced. "Ehrmich."

Once they were inside the District, they were greeted by the sounds of refugees who fled the Districts that were invaded by Titans. Levi guided Nick towards them so he could see exactly what the monsters had done. The pastor froze when he saw the abundance of ragged, exhausted people only to be kicked forward by the irritated captain.

"No one said stop!" he stated. "A rolling stone gathers no moss."

"This… this is…" Nick was at a loss for words.

"Maybe you expected to see something quaint?" Levi questioned with a sneer. _"This_ is what happens when the Walls give."

The hordes of people continued to file through, and there was even a child that was crying for his parents.

Horrified, Nick seemed to move in their direction, but Levi grabbed him by the shoulder and held him back.

"No! Take it in, Holy Man. These are the faces of human beings who have lost everything they ever had. Human beings you and your kind abandon incidentally. Hard to look at, I imagine, but if the Church had its way, this would be all of us. Titans would pour in and make a feast of what's left, shoveling man, woman, and child down their putrescent gullets. All humanity digested as one."

Nick was the only one who couldn't tear his eyes away from this. From a vantage point, Annie watched the endless droves of people. The exhausted people, the broken families, and the orphaned children tore at her soul. While she had nothing to do with this incident, she was responsible for the one five years ago.

"You know this wasn't your fault, right?" Dillon asked from behind.

She didn't even turn to meet him. "I know… but five years ago, it was my fault. I gathered as many Titans as I could and traveled to the Wall. Once my part was done, I passed out and woke in a refugee camp. Everywhere I looked, I saw what I see now… and I had to brush it aside for the sake of my mission."

"You didn't choose that life," he stated, sitting next to her, "but you were able to choose a new one. You can't undo what's been done, Annie, but I know you have the strength to move on." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

Annie sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder. "…Dillon?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you see when you look at me?"

"…Someone I love with all my heart," he answered, kissing the top of her head.

"I never deserved it," she said.

"…Whether you deserve something or not doesn't matter anymore. I love you, Annie, and that's not going to change."

"Dillon… I want you to promise me something: if something ever happens to me out there… promise me you will move on and find someone that makes you happy in this world."

Dillon let out a sigh as he gave a slow nod. "I promise… provided you do the same if I don't make it through this war."

"…I will." Slowly, she unwrapped herself from his embrace, looking him in the eyes. "I want you to stay close to me until this is over," Annie said.

"Annie-."

She gave him a stern look and held up her hand to stop him from talking. "Dillon, last night, Elise fragmented your mind, and this afternoon, you took quite a few blows physically and mentally. If it wasn't for the fact you had your abilities, you'd be staying in the Interior recovering as opposed to the front lines." She sighed, backing off a little. "Dillon, you're one of the strongest people I know, but we're going up against two, possibly three, Titan Shifters. Just... stay with me until this is over."

He let out a sigh, but he nodded. "All right. I'll stay close to you… but if there's an opening, I'm going to take it."

"Fair enough."

"Um… sorry for interrupting," a familiar voice said at the stairs.

The two looked see Armin standing there a little nervously.

"But I was wondering if I could talk to you, Annie."

"Yeah, I was just about to leave." Dillon gave a her another kiss on the lips. "Love you."

"Love you, too," she replied, kissing him back.

Dillon stood up and left the vantage point, leaving the two blondes alone.

"Hey, Armin," Annie greeted, standing up. "What is it?"

"…We never had a chance to talk in a while," he said. "Lots of things have been happening lately, but… I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm getting there," she admitted. "Dillon's been helping me with that, but it's still a slow process." She gave him a smile. "You were always the smartest of our class. Keep that up and you'll be an effective leader in no time."

He chuckled a bit. "I don't know about that."

"Ask anyone. You're the brains of the 104th." She sighed. "I know why you're here, Armin. I don't hate you for the things you said and did in Stohess. You were in a bad situation and you had to make a lot of tough calls. I wanted to tell you that sooner, but, like you said, we had a few things to take care of."

"…I really appreciate that, Annie," Armin replied sincerely.

"If anyone has to be sorry, it's me," Annie stated in a sad tone. "I shouldn't have put you through all that crap during the Expedition. You didn't deserve any of it."

"For what it's worth, I understand why you did all the things you did," he assured. "It hurts a lot that you were never on our side until recently, but I understand what was going on now. If I was in your position… I probably would have done the same thing."

"…Thank you, Armin," she said gratefully.

"I think we should head back to the others," Armin suggested. "There might be a mission briefing soon."

She nodded, feeling better thanks to him and Dillon. "It won't be long before things come to a head."

Downstairs in the courtyard, Dillon had been looking for Jean but found out that he was deployed to Trost. He could only imagine how disappointed he was that he wouldn't be able to help bring down the Shifters, but orders were orders. So, he decided to help the Scouts load bags of food into the carts in the meantime.

He spotted Hanji and Eren walking into the courtyard as the former gave him what seemed to be a final briefing.

"Once we leave Ehrmich, we'll be in Titan territory proper," she stated as they approached the stables.

"Eren, there's a mount waiting for you in the left lift," Moblit announced. "Time to saddle up, soldier."

"Right," Eren replied, heading inside.

Before Hanji could follow them, she spotted Nick walking into the courtyard with Levi right behind him.

"Section Commander, we're pressed for time!" Moblit pointed out.

"Uh, thanks, Moblit. Give me a second," she said, walking over to them. "So, seen the light by any chance?"

The pastor remained silent, looking downcast.

Finally, Hanji lost her patience as she got right into face and started yelling at him. "Oh, you sanctimonious prick! Make up your mind! This isn't some spiritual test! Lives are on the line!"

"Alas, I cannot," Nick confessed. "Neither myself nor the people that believe are at liberty to divulge the truth."

"Fat lot of help you are!" Hanji exclaimed furiously, pulling away. "Thanks for keeping us company! It's been fun!"

Dillon was ready to punch the priest in the face when he continued speaking.

"I'd offer my help if I could, but a duty as great as this one is beyond me. The Order of the Walls abides by the sacred will that commands us to obey."

"Who's sacred will?" Hanji questioned. "You mean like God or something?"

"I can't answer that."

"Surprise, surprise," Dillon muttered in annoyance.

"But… what I can do is provide you with a name. An individual that the sacred will of Divine Providence ordered us to monitor," Nick said.

That got her interest even more. "Monitor?"

By now, Annie and Armin had joined the conversation, fully invested.

The pastor nodded, finally facing them. "It's a person you know. Someone who enlisted with the Scout Regiment as of this year."

The cadets in the 104th stared at him in shock. That one statement narrowed down the possibilities tremendously.

"A child by name of Krista Lenz."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Battle of Castle Utgard

All eyes were on the pastor when that name left his mouth. So many questions were going through the cadets' minds as they stared in stunned silence only for the door behind them to slam open, thus breaking said silence.

"Important message!" Sasha exclaimed, clutching a piece of paper tightly. "I'm with the 104th Cadet Corps! Oh, and my name is Sasha Braus!"

No one paid any attention to her as they were still taking in the news.

"No way," Eren whispered.

"Who?" Hanji asked, turning to the cadets.

Sasha cautiously approached her, trying to hand over the message. "Sorry. This is for you, Section Commander."

Despite her efforts, she was still ignored.

"You must find her with all haste," Nick told them. "She is the key. She may know things we understand, but poorly. And with that, we come to the end of what I'm free to share. The rest I leave in your capable hands."

"But… if she's in the 104th Cadet Corps, she's at the front lines by now," Hanji realized.

"Then let's go. Come on! There's no time to lose!" Eren started running towards to stables only to immediately crash into Sasha, who fell onto the ground harshly and dropped the letter.

"Watch where you're going!" Hanji rebuked.

"Sasha?" Eren asked, surprised.

"Where did you come from all of a sudden?" Mikasa wondered.

Carefully, Dillon began helping the girl up. "You all right?"

She let out a groan, massaging her forehead. "Yeah, I'm all-!" She gasped loudly and picked the letter back up, running towards Hanji. "I was sent to give a message to Commander Erwin, who then entrusted me to deliver this to you, Section Commander!" With a dramatic bow, she held out the message to her.

Hanji didn't quite know how to respond to that other than… "Oh, uh… okay, then. Excellent work."

She placed a steamed potato in Sasha's hands, whose face lit up with pure joy. She took a large bite out of it, thrilled to taste real food once again.

"So, who was Nick talking about?" Hanji wondered while the cadets began strapping on ODM gear.

"She was the smallest one in our class," Eren explained as Mikasa made sure his gear was attached correctly.

"Golden hair, blue eyes," Armin described. "In fact, she's, uh… kinda cute."

Annie couldn't help but smirk at that. "Sounds like you have a crush, Armin."

His face flushed with embarrassment, but he didn't comment on it.

"She's the one always hanging around Ymir," Mikasa added for good measure.

Hanji gasped at that statement. "Excuse me?"

Dillon tilted his head in confusion. "What is it?"

She shook it off for the moment. "I'll tell you all later. Right now, we have to finish getting ready."

"Annie!" Sasha exclaimed, embracing the blonde girl tightly. "It's so good to see you again!"

Awkwardly, the blonde hugged her back as she tried to breathe. "It's, uh… nice to see you, too, I guess. Can you let go before you crush my ribs?"

She released her quickly. "Sorry. I just didn't expect to see you join the Scouts. What made you change your mind?"

"It's a long story that we don't have time for," Annie answered.

"She's right," Hanji agreed with a nod and began to address all the Scouts gathered. "Right now, we are about to ride into a very volatile situation. It's highly unlikely all the Titans have been killed, so we'll need to take down as many as we can. Then, there are the Shifters we need to worry about."

"What Shifters?" Sasha asked, the only one uninformed of the truth.

"Later," Dillon whispered. "Stay quiet for now."

"Best case scenario is that we contain them quickly and take them Underground. Worst case is that we fight them out." She looked over at the Titan Shifters before her. "We can assist as much as you need us to, I hope you two can handle them if things get dicey."

"We will," Eren promised.

"They won't get away," Annie swore.

Satisfied, Hanji said, "So, that's the plan. Are we clear?"

"Yes, clear!" the Scouts answered.

"Right, we have to go now!" Eren declared, making his way for the exit.

"Calm down, Eren," Levi advised. "I need you all to listen. We're going our separate ways. That's how it has to be. Right now, this is all riding on you. Armin, you and Hanji are the brain trust. Use your combined knowledge to cook up solutions if things get out of hand."

Armin nodded quickly. "Right. Yes, sir."

The captain moved on. "Mikasa… I don't think I'll ever get why you're so attached to the guy, but put your skills to some good use. Protect Eren at all costs!"

"Sir, I intend to!" Mikasa replied.

"Dillon, I'm entrusting you to knock them out while they are in human form the second you see an opening. If they transform, assist our Titan comrades with subduing them, but don't get yourself killed because of your recklessness."

"Yes, sir!" Dillon responded.

"Annie, keep your head down until the Shifters are neutralized. If they see you, it all blows up in our faces. I trust you know what to do if they transform. Don't blow it."

"Of course, sir," Annie assured.

Now was the time to address the final 104th member. "And you… don't screw this up."

Eren stiffened, knowing what Levi was referring to.

"Check your emotions, Eren," he warned. "Learn the meaning of the word restraint. If you let yourself succumb to blind rage, all hope is lost. We can't afford another mistake."

Eren nodded gravely. "Sir!"

"Good luck to each and every one of you," he said sincerely. "Now, get out there!"

"Sir!" was the chorused reply.

While the Scouts made their way towards the horses, Annie turned to see an open-mouthed Sasha staring at her in complete shock.

"You… you're…" she sputtered.

"When this is over, I'll tell you everything," Annie promised before heading out with the others.

"…What the hell did I miss!?" Sasha demanded, chasing after her.

* * *

(Castle Utgard)

As expected, the ruins of an old castle provided little comfort for its current occupants. The floor was dusty and cold along with the fact that there was a scent of mold in the air. The Scouts considered themselves fortunate that no one was having allergic reactions to the conditions. Still, they were able to set up a fire inside, so they had warmth at least. They even had some sheets so they wouldn't have to lie directly on the cold floor.

"Someone was here not that long ago," Hanning stated after having a quick look around.

"A place this close to the Wall?" Nanaba asked.

"Bandits probably used it as a hideout," Lynne guessed.

"A sign on the way in said 'Ruins of Utgard Castle," Nanaba pointed out. "I didn't know there was a historical sight around here.

Gelgar entered the area, holding a green bottle of what appeared to be wine. "Hey, look what I just stumbled upon."

"You're kidding," Lynne said in disbelief. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Uh-huh." He squinted at the label on the bottle. "Can't really read the label, though."

"You're not gonna drink it now," Lynne scolded with a disapproving look.

Quickly, Gelgar caught himself. "Don't be smart! I'm gonna save it for later."

Hanning chuckled as his comrade walked to the other side of the room. "You know, there are worse ways to spend the night than having access to top-shelf contraband."

"Careful," Nanaba warned with a laugh. "You're starting to sound like an outlaw."

"I want you kids to try at get some rest," Gelgar instructed to the cadets. "There shouldn't be any Titans crawling around at this time of night, but we'll take turns keeping watch. Be ready to leave four hours shy of daybreak."

"Excuse me," Krista cut in, deciding to voice her worries. "What if it turns out Wall Rose that isn't actually compromised? Where do, uh…where else could they be coming from?"

There was a long pause as the soldiers glanced at each other. This was a question that had been bubbling inside of them ever since they were unable to find the breach.

"It's our job to find out," he responded, walking up the stairs that led to the roof. "Starting tomorrow."

Krista let out a sigh. "I'm just saying. The situation isn't good, sure, but is it as bad as we think? You never know, right? That's all."

"She's right," Hanning agreed. "We haven't seen that many Titans. I mean, for them to have busted through the Wall anyway."

"Only within the initial sighting," Nanaba said, mulling it over. "A relatively modest handful."

Deciding to change the subject a little, Ymir glanced over at Connie. "Connie, what about your village?"

"Totally destroyed," he stated. "It was crushed to tinder and bits of rubble.

She let out a sad sigh. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"Nobody got devoured though," Connie assured. "Looked like they all got out, so there's a silver lining at least."

"I thought you said it was destroyed," Ymir pointed out, confused.

"Well, the houses and stuff were, but the people themselves must've all escaped. I mean, they had to have. The thing is… we didn't see any blood anywhere. Not so much as one drop. That's the only possible explanation." He turned to face the ground as his mind drifted back to that moment. "Still though… there's something I can't get out of my head. There was a Titan on top of our house… just lying there… staring at me. It couldn't move on its own, thank God. But I just… I have no idea why… but it reminded me of my mom. Am I crazy?"

"Connie," Reiner interrupted, almost irritably. "What did I tell you? It was your imagine-."

"Are you serious!?"

All eyes went to Ymir who busted out laughing at the sheer ludicrousness of that statement. "You actually think your mom might be a Titan? Oh, honey, as itty-bitty as you are, please!"

Connie was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to feel about her response, though her next statement fixed that.

"We all knew you were dumb as a bag of rocks, but whoa, man! This takes it to a whole other level!"

"Ha hah, have your fun," he growled over her laughter. "Guess I was kinda asking for it."

"Don't stop there," Ymir suggested, her tone ever so mocking. "If mother darling's a Titan, it's only logical to assume dear old daddy is, too. Basic biology. Think about it. How else-?"

"Okay, I get it!" Connie snapped, glaring at her. "Just shut up already!"

"Lock in down, you two!" Nanaba ordered, having enough. "This is hardly the time for this nonsense. Get some sleep, all of you."

Silently, the cadets took to their sheets and attempted to sleep their worries away. Connie, however, was unable to do so. Despite Ymir pointing out how ridiculous the thought of his mother being a Titan was, he couldn't let that go no matter how hard he tried. He honestly believed he heard the Titan talk to him even though Reiner didn't hear it. Still, all Connie could wonder if it was true, that the Titan in his village is his mother… how was that possible?

For nearly two hours, the cadets managed to drift off into slumber save for Ymir. Once everyone, including the senior officers, weren't looking, she snuck into the room containing the contraband, opening up a case. Holding a candle in one hand, she began searching through it with the other, looking for anything edible or valuable when the door opened up behind her.

"Ymir, what are you doing?" Reiner asked, having spotted her beforehand.

She smirked in response. "Seriously? What are you doing? Here to ravage me? Don't take this the wrong way, but I didn't think you were all that into girls."

"Really?" he asked, not letting her get to him. "Well, since we're on the subject, I didn't think _you_ were into guys."

Ymir rolled her eyes and continued searching. "If you must know, I'm scavenging for leftovers like a street urchin. I'd prefer not to meet my maker on an empty stomach."

Slowly, Reiner closed the door so they wouldn't get caught. "Look, the whole thing earlier with Connie… are you teasing him to get his mind off of things? It'd be great if you could keep that up. The less he dwells on his family right now, the better."

"…What are you talking about?" she wondered, a little confused by that statement before she managed to pull out a can. "Huh, this might be good. Herring's not my favorite, but whatever."

Reiner walked over to her. "Herring, huh? Can I see?"

"Help yourself," she said, handing it over to him.

"I can't believe there's canned food here," he commented as he took it. His eyes widened as he stared at the label. "What the…? What is this? I can't read a word of it. How do you know this says 'herring?'"

Ymir froze, going silent.

"It's in another language. Ymir… how can you…?"

Slowly, she faced him, a look of fear present on her face. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not now of all times.

"Everyone, wake up!" Lynne yelled suddenly. "Get to the tower immediately!"

Quickly, the cadets and the other three Scouts arose and ran up the stairs, with Reiner and Ymir not too far behind, to see what the commotion was about. Once they reached the top of the tower, they were greeted with a sight that should not have been seen tonight.

Fourteen Titans of various sizes had the castle surrounded, their footsteps shaking the ground as they walked. Some of them were circling the tower, almost like vultures ready to strike.

"I couldn't see them in the dark," Lynne explained, her nervousness very apparent, "but with the moonlight…"

"How can they move?" Gelgar questioned, horrified like the others were. "This shouldn't be happening! The sun went down hours ago!"

"I don't understand," Krista whispered fearfully.

Connie's eyes widened when he spotted something among the Titan ranks. "Uh, guys, what the hell is that!?"

All eyes focused on what he was pointing at: a seventeen-meter, ape-like Titan circling the tower like some of the Titans.

"It's gotta be a Titan," Connie stated, panic starting to increase within him, "but have you ever seen one that big!? Look at it! It's more like… some kind of beast! How do we…!?"

His voice trailed when he saw he friends watching that thing, eyes wide with terror. They, like him, had no idea what kind of monster that thing was. However, the thing changed course, walking away from the castle.

"Wait, is it…?" His pupils shrank when he realized where it was going. "It's heading straight for the Wall!"

They were so distracted by the Beast Titan that it wasn't until a fifteen-meter Titan rammed its entire body into the tower, causing it to shake violently. If the Titans combined their efforts, the tower would collapse and they would all die. The Titan continued ramming its head into the side of the tower while a few tried climbing it.

"Hey, hey, back off!" Gelgar exclaimed angrily and fearfully. "Don't come up here! Don't you have anything better to do!? Bother someone else! I should be drinking right now, damn it!" Finally, he drew his swords. "You're standing between me and a tankard of ale! I've earned the right to get trashed!"

Nanaba would have a serious talk with the man about priorities later, but right now, the senior officers had a job to do. First things first, she pulled out a flare gun and fired a red flare into the sky.

"Who the hell could be nearby at this time of night!?" Ymir questioned.

"Rookies, stay where you are!" she commanded as she and the others stood on the edge of the tower. "We've got this. Let the ODM gear do what it was designed for." Drawing her swords with the others, she gave let out a loud, "ATTACK!"

With a battle cry, the four Scouts dived off the tower, ready to kill as many Titans as they could.

Gelgar went straight for the fifteen-meter that was trying to knock the tower down with its head. Seeing what it believed to be easy prey, it reached out for him.

"You think it's gonna be that easy, big guy!?" he taunted. "I've got news for you!"

The news came in the form of a precise sword swing that cut off all of its fingers. Nanaba quickly followed up by targeting the nape, cut deep enough to kill it. The lifeless body fell on top of three, small Titans that were trying to get inside the tower.

If Gelgar's tone was anything to go by, he was savoring this moment as he replaced his bloodied blades with new ones. "Hot damn! You little ones should watch where you're going! Hah! Dumbasses!"

"I don't think you're one to talk," Nanaba scolded, more than a little annoyed with his antics. "There's no call to be so reckless. Did you _have_ to waste your blades?"

"That's just how I do things," he stated. "You'd better chalk that one up as an assist."

She allowed herself a smirk at that. "Aren't you the hero? I'll think about it."

Down below, one of the small Titans tried to crawl out from under the corpse, but Lynne landed directly on its head, halting its movements. A precise slash to the nape ended its life. She looked up from her kill and saw that the door to the tower was broken into. "Oh, no. I'm too late."

Quickly, she grappled up to where Nanaba and Gelgar were and informed them the news. "The door's been kicked in!" Without waiting for a response, she made her way to the top where the cadets were. "Titans are in the castle. Get below and improvise some sort of barricade. Be careful. Retreat back up here as a last resort! Now, hurry. The rest of us will keep any more from getting in as best we can." She looked out at the Titans, a grim look on her face. "There are quite a few, so this might be it for us, but, by God, we'll fight to the last breath! Our hearts and souls to the cause, right? Now, go!"

"Got it!" the cadets exclaimed, rushing down the stairs.

Reiner took the lead, grabbing a torch as he ran. "I'll go see how far they've gotten in! You find something to board up the entrance, whatever isn't nailed down!"

"Reiner, wait!" Krista protested.

"What the hell!?" Connie exclaimed.

Bertholdt pushed passed the others, trying to get to him. "Hang on, we're coming! Wait up!"

By now, Reiner had already reached one of the doors.

Connie couldn't help but groan. "Are you kidding me? Why's he always gotta be the first one to step up!? Give us a break!"

"I know," Bertholdt agreed. "It's a habit of his."

Carefully, Reiner proceeded through the door once he saw that there were no Titans in this part of the castle. He took notice that the door at the end of the next set of stairs was still barred up, meaning that they had to be on the other side. However, he knew that it wouldn't keep them out for long, so it was best to see how far in they were. He lifted up the barricade and slowly opened the door, taking a look.

His heart nearly stopped when he saw a three-meter Titan staring directly at him, grinning. The minute it let out a roar, Reiner pulled back and slammed the door shut, making sure the barricade was put back. Dropping the torch, he used his weight as an extra obstacle to keep the Titan out, though he knew that this was only a temporary solution. If the way the Titan was trying to break in from the other side was any indication, the door would last a couple minutes at most.

"They're in the tower!" he yelled. "Get down here at help me!"

The couple minutes he thought he had turned into a couple of seconds as the Titans arm busted through the door to the left of him.

 _Is this it?_ He asked himself as the hand came down on him. _Is this how I go out!?_

All of a sudden, he wasn't in the tower anymore. He was out in a field being attacked by a Titan. It almost reached him, but his friend, Marcel pushed him out of the way in the nick of time, letting the Titan grab him inside. He watched as he friend screamed for them to run as the monster opened its mouth to devour him.

 _No! Not yet! I refuse!_ Coming back to the present, Reiner dived out of the way of the hand. He glared directly at the Titan as it was just about to make it through. _I'm going back home!_

"Reiner!" Bertholdt called out from behind him.

The blonde glanced over his shoulder and watched him impale a rake directly into the Titan's eyes. Quickly, Reiner got up and helped him push the Titan back.

"Talk to me, man! Are you good!?" Bertholdt questioned.

"Yes," Reiner assured, giving him a determined look. "Listen to me. We're gonna make it home. This is _not_ how we die."

Bertholdt gave a quick nod. "Yeah, I know. Damn right!"

"Guys, heads up! Incoming!" Ymir yelled from on top of the stairs.

They saw her, Krista, and Connie standing behind a cannon they had wheeled out to the doorway.

"Where'd you find-?" Reiner shook it off. "Good work! Is there ammo!?"

"Yeah, right. If only," she replied. "We have another plan. Get out of the way!"

Quickly, the three began hitting the cannon, causing it to descend down the stairs rapidly. The two men jumped to the ground floor just as it almost reached them. The moment the Titan pulled the rake out of its eyes, the cannon smashed into it. Not only did it block the door, but it buried the Titan as well.

"May miracles never cease," Ymir said as she and the others cautiously went down the stairs.

"Yeah," Reiner replied. "It's not getting up from that. Good thing it was a little one."

"What now?" Connie asked, pulling out a knife he managed to grab. "A knife's the only thing we've got. Should I cut the nape or-?"

"Don't risk it," Reiner interjected. "Get ground, you'll get hurt."

"Then I think it's best we head upstairs for now," Krista advised. "We have no way of knowing if that's the only one that got in."

She gasped when she saw another Titan get through the barricade, which was heading directly towards an oblivious Connie.

"Connie!" she screamed.

The bald-headed cadet turned in horror as he faced a huge set of teeth coming right at him.

Thinking fast, Reiner shoved Connie out of the way while pushing the Titan's face aside. However, the Titan turned and bit down on Reiner's arm, eliciting a scream of pain from him.

"Reiner, no!" Krista yelled, who was being held back by Ymir.

The cadets watched in horror as its teeth sunk deeper into his arm, fracturing out. However, Reiner was far from out. Planting his feet and squatting underneath the Titan, he grabbed the Titan with his free hand and began to lift it into the air, rendering it immobile. Knowing exactly what needed to happen, Reiner began walking up the stairs towards one of the windows.

"Holy… what are you doing?" Connie asked. "Wait, are you… are you going to jump out the window with it!?"

"We've got no other choice!" he stated through gritted teeth as he was just about to do exactly that.

"No, wait!" Catching up quickly, Connie slammed his knife into the jaw of the Titan. "Give me a second! I think I can slice its jaw open!" After a few seconds, he managed to cut the nerve that kept the jaw together. "There!"

Now free, Reiner pulled back, clutching his arm in pain, but the Titan started turning around, ready to try again. However, Bertholdt and Ymir quickly rectified that by kicking the Titan out of the window, causing it to fall to the ground in a heap.

With that done, the cadets made their way back up one of the other levels, barricading the door with poles. Ymir, Bertholdt and Connie positioned the poles so that they connected to the door and stairs, and they used bricks to hammer them in. Krista, however, decided to tend to Reiner's injury.

"What do we do if another one gets in?" Connie wondered. "Not like we'll find another cannon lying around, am I right?"

"Probably," Bertholdt answered. "Lightning won't strike twice."

Opening the bottle of alcohol Gelgar found, Krista poured it on Reiner's arm, a pained yell as a result of the liquid. "Sorry! I know it stings. Plus, the bone's most likely fractured."

"Of course," Reiner replied through gritted teeth. "That's how my luck runs."

"We'll need a splint and a bandage. Easy enough."

To Reiner's surprise, Krista stood up and tore her skirt, turning what remained of her dress into a lopsided miniskirt. He couldn't help but stare at her now-exposed legs.

"The cloth's filthy," Krista commented, kneeling next to him and tying the fabric around his arm. "I haven't been able to clean it in forever. I'm sorry."

"…No sweat. It does the job." Reiner had other things on his mind, though. _Marry me._

"So, you're gonna be all right or what?" Connie asked, concerned.

"I think so," he answered as Krista looped it around like a makeshift sling. "Probably."

"You know, Krista," Ymir said. "I, uh, got a little scratched up myself."

Connie rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what she was up to. "Ugh, just spit on it or something."

 _I hate you._ Ymir thought as she gave him a deadpan expression.

He paid her no heed. "Anyways, sorry about all that, man. Seems like you're always having to save my ass. You and everyone else. Even Annie put herself on the line for me once. I owe you a lot."

"No, no, it's fine," Reiner assured. "We have each other's back. It's what soldiers do."

"I don't know. I doubt I could ever be that courageous. Has he always been like this? A self-sacrificing type?"

"No," Bertholdt responded. "He's changed a bit. In the old days, Reiner was more of a warrior."

"A warrior?" Reiner asked, confused. "I'm not quite sure I understand."

"Anyway," Ymir interrupted, having enough, "let's scrounge around for some stuff we can use. If I have to die, I'd rather not do it because we're being half-assed." She peered out the window. "Oh, wow."

The majority of the Titans were lying on the ground dead and only a few remained.

"Well, all right, then. Say what you will, the Scouts get shit done."

With gritted teeth, Nanaba dove between a Titan's legs, slashing open the Achilles' Heel in the process. Gelgar finished it off quickly before the two grappled up to the side of the tower. The four of them had been fighting for 30 minutes and yet it felt like hours had gone by. Their blades were running out and the tanks were half-empty. Still, they were getting things done.

"That's mostly it for the big ones," Gelgar pointed out, panting.

"Good thing we have this tower," Nanaba said, equally tired.

"No kidding," he agreed. "I think we might just survive the night."

"We'll check on the recruits," Lynne offered once she and Hanning joined them.

"Okay," Nanaba replied as they made for the top.

Suddenly, there was a loud whooshing noise that was getting louder.

"The hell is that noise?" Gelgar wondered.

There was a resounding crash from below, causing the Scouts to look down. A piece of something big smash right into the stables, killing all the horses that resided in them.

"The horses!" Nanaba exclaimed in shock.

The sound picked up again quickly.

"There it is again!" Lynne stated.

"Where's it coming from?" Hanning questioned, looking around as it got louder.

A large impact the side of the tower at the top. Nanba and Gelgar looked up to see the crushed bodies of their comrades fly off the tower and fall towards the ground.

"Lynne! Hanning!" Nanaba screamed as they grabbed their bodies before getting to the top.

Just then, Connie appeared out of the door, trying not to panic once more. "Oh, shit!"

"They're dead," Gelgar declared as he and Nanaba laid their bodies down. "Died instantly."

"This can't…" Krista whispered, tears springing to her eyes.

" _He_ did this," Connie growled. "The one who made a beeline for the Wall." He ran towards the edge, looking for him. "That son of a bitch is randomly-" He gasped when he saw a new horde of Titans, almost double the number they saw earlier, walking towards the castle. "Heads up, guys! We've got twice as many as before!"

"You're kidding!" Gelgar replied.

"It's like they're timing their attacks as some part of a large strategy," Nanaba noted. "This isn't random at all. We're being toyed with!"

A loud roar sounded from the Wall, almost as if it was some sort of battle cry. In response, the Titans began attacking the tower once more. With low gas and only two Scouts remaining, none of them would last against the cluster. Nanaba and Gelgar steeled themselves, ready to do what needed to be done.

However, hope was to be found as their ears picked up a new sound: the sound of horses galloping. In the trees behind the Titans, a cavalry of twelve Scouts from the advanced teams led by Mike Zacharias himself charged out, swords drawn.

"Give it everything you have!" he shouted. "Take these bastards down!"

"Mike!" Nanaba exclaimed, overjoyed to see him again before remembering the other danger. "Be careful! There's a Titan on top of the Wall throwing debris at this position!"

The Section Commander nodded before leaping of his horse, grappling towards the nearest Titan. "Hold out for as long as you can!"

Connie chuckled out of relief as the man took down a fifteen-meter. "I can't believe he made it."

"I told you, rookie," Gelgar reminded him. "Second only to Captain Levi."

* * *

From on top of the Wall, the Beast Titan glared down at the humans. He recognized the leader as the man he encountered at that outpost. He believed that he scampered off towards to Walls to fill in his superiors, but here he was, leading a fresh team of Scouts to save their lives, but that didn't make any sense. Why would there be a team ready for a Titan attack at night? They were prepared for this. Too prepared.

He began mulling over the day's events. The advanced teams, the traps, the leader acting more cautious than he should have in his presence earlier, and now this. It all added up to one conclusion: they knew he was coming. They knew what he was going to do, or at least for the most part. And there was only one person that could've pulled this off from the start.

" **Annie,"** he snarled as he ripped off another chunk of the Wall.

* * *

"Incoming!" a Scout yelled as he saw the debris coming right for them now that they knew where to look.

"Split off!" Mike ordered.

They moved out of its trajectory, catching only a single Scout and causing a massive crater.

"With that Titan throwing shit at us, we won't last very long," another Scout pointed out as he took down a five-meter.

"Who's to say he won't bring down the tower?" Gelgar questioned as he and Nanaba prepared to get back into the action.

 _He won't._ Mike thought. _Not as long as his allies are up there. Unfortunately, if they catch on that we know about them, things will devolve into a more chaotic setting than it is now._ "Then we'll clear the way before he considers that to be an option. Gelgar, Nanaba, you've done your part. Keep watch of the Titan and inform us if he attacks."

"Yes, Commander!" they replied.

While the Scouts were able to throw the Titans into disarray, these monsters were more intelligent Abnormals than they were used to. The ugly three-meter Mike encountered before jumped into the air and snatched a Scout with its hands. It wasted no time eating him as his screams filled the night. Angered by this, Mike swooped in and slashed open the Titan's nape, killing it once and for all. The Scouts, however, managed to regroup and take down two fifteen-meters quickly. Unfortunately, one of them crashed into the smaller tower, demolishing it completely. Now, the people were completely stranded on top.

"We have to get them out of there!" Mike exclaimed as he felled a ten-meter.

"Incoming!" Nanaba yelled this time.

A cluster of Scouts, noticing that it was heading for them, disembarked from the Titan they were attacking. The debris hit the Titan by mistake, taking off its head. One of the Scouts cut the nape for good measure once it fell with a resounding crash.

"You know… I think our chances of surviving just went up," Connie commented, staring with wide eyes.

"If you jinx us, I will strangle you myself," Ymir swore.

The way the battle was going, it could tip in either side's favor. Not including the senior officers, there were only eight Scouts left, but they were good soldiers. They knew how to kill Titans. Said monsters were lowered to an even twenty due to their actions. All in all, it was a coin toss.

"It's coming for the tower!" Gelgar yelled, grabbing Connie and moving him to safety. "Get back!"

This particular boulder smashed right into the lower levels of the tower, removing a good chunk of it. Part of the tower began giving way, though most of the soldiers were on the other side. Unfortunately, Krista was not one of them as the ground started to break beneath her as she ran.

"Krista!" Ymir screamed fearfully, running towards her with an outstretched hand.

She tried to get away, but the ground gave in beneath her as she fell backwards, inches away from Ymir's hand.

Never in her wildest dreams did Krista imagine that this would be how she died. She always wanted to die in a way that people would remember her fondly, maybe even think of her as a hero. Yet, here she was, about to die from a fall. Unfortunately, fate decided to make her last moments far worse.

Once she was closer to ground, she was snatched out of the air by a hungry, thirteen-meter Titan. She struggled in its grip, panic and terror taking over, but there was nothing she could do as its jaw opened wide to devour her.

Mike wanted to go rescue the girl, but there were too many Titans between him and the girl. To make matters worse, another boulder came along and took out four Scouts that would've been in reach in one blow. Nanaba and Gelgar wanted to help, but their tanks were out of gas. All they would accomplish was getting themselves killed.

"Ymir!" she cried out desperately as she was brought closer to its mouth. "Someone, help me, please! PLEASE!"

Out of nowhere, there was a flash of light directly above her, blinding her at everyone else in the vicinity. There was a loud noise that sounded like a screech combined with a very angry roar. Krista felt herself get wrenched out of the Titan's hand into another one as blood from the Titan's cut nape splattered onto her. She was quickly carried away before the movement stopped abruptly.

Krista's vision cleared as she was found face-to-face with a horrifying sight.

Holding her was a five-meter Titan with long, black hair. Its eyes were sunken in and black, giving off a very feral vibe. Like most Titans, this one had no lips, but this one had many, sharp teeth that could crunch her bones with a single bite.

Once again, Krista started struggling, even going so far to shout, "Let me go!" but then…

" **Krista… it's me!"**

Immediately, the girl stopped, staring at the Titan in complete shock. It spoke. It knew her name and spoke to her. And that voice, a deep guttural snarl combined with a female voice… it couldn't be.

"Y… Ymir?"


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: I know. A chapter done early. This one ended up being a lot simpler to do than I previously thought. Hope you guys enjoy this one.**

* * *

Chapter 32: A Bitter Reunion

There were a lot of things that Ymir didn't expect to happen today. She didn't expect to find Titans within Wall Rose with no breach. She didn't expect to be trapped in a tower surrounded by Titans that could move at night. Most of all, she didn't expect to reveal herself as a Titan Shifter like this.

When Krista fell off the tower, it was like she was watching her entire world beginning to burn. After everything the two had been through, after forcing Krista to face the truth of her reasons for enlisting, she was going to die by a giant ape? Her heart nearly stopped when she heard Krista screaming for her, begging for help when she was about to be eaten. Ymir knew what had to be done, damn the consequences. It was so easy to take Connie's knife, but it was harder to jump off the tower and go through with it. Now… her nature had been revealed.

"Y… Ymir?" Krista asked fearfully.

Slowly, she nodded, trying to look as non-threatening as possible, which was hard considering what she looked like.

"How… how is this possible?"

Before she could answer, she noticed the Titans start to converge on her. Holding Krista tightly to her chest, Ymir started dashing away from them.

"Keep them off her back!" Mike ordered, once he got over the shock.

"Sir, she's a Titan!" one of the Scouts protested.

"And she's on our side," he shot back, grappling towards the nearest Titan.

On top of the Titan, the group stared down at Ymir, flabbergasted by what just happened.

"Talk to me," Connie pleaded. "Someone tell me this is all a dream."

Reiner's eyes were wide with horror. "It… it was her that day."

"She's the one," Bertholdt whispered, equally horrified.

The tower began shaking a bit, throwing everyone off-balance.

"Get away from the edge!" Nanaba exclaimed, pulling Reiner back. "This tower could give any second."

"Yeah, especially if that Titan tries to throw another…" Connie's voice trailed off when he looked at the Wall. "Wait… where did he go?"

Several pairs of eyes looked in his direction and saw no sign of the Beast Titan.

"How did that thing just vanish!?" Gelgar demanded.

"One problem at a time," Nanaba said. "We still have Titans below us and the tower's going to fall soon. There's no gas in our tanks, so we're up the creek on this one unless someone gets us down from here."

The sun started to peak over the horizon, shedding light upon the ruins of Castle Utgard. They could see things far more clearly now. There were about a dozen Titans left, all of which started to converge onto Ymir, who was making sure that Krista stayed out of harm's way. Unfortunately, with Krista in hand, she wasn't able to really attack, leaving her vulnerable to whatever surprise attacks these Titans could launch.

"Cadet!" Mike shouted, catching up to her. "We need your full strength to win this battle! We can get her to safety if you would-."

Ymir let out a snarl, her way of warning him to back off.

"Ymir, d-don't," Krista pleaded, though her tone still indicated she was still mortified. "It's gonna be okay."

Her response was to jump away from a seven-meter that almost grabbed her. It was quickly taken down by one of the surviving Scouts.

"Don't be stubborn!" Krista demanded, getting a little harsher. "They need you more than I do!"

The tower continued to shake during the commotion, showing that time was ready out fast for the people on top.

"We have to get them down from there before it's too late!" Mike stated, killing a three-meter easily.

"The tower won't be able to support us," another Scout pointed out, getting to a higher point. "If we try scaling it, the whole thing could come crashing down."

Krista stared at her worried friends that were on top. The minute it fell, all of them would be killed. She looked back and saw the Titans still chasing after Ymir, jaws wide with anticipation. An idea started to take hold as she began putting things together. It was a very reckless plan with a large chance of something going wrong, but it was all they had. "Bring the tower down."

Ymir gave her a look of confusion… or at least, she tried to. Making facial expressions in her Titan form was hard when the default one was, "I'm going to eat you."

"Ymir, you can save them!" she explained. "The Titans are chasing after you, and they'll follow you to the tower if you lead them there. It's perfect!"

 **"Too dangerous,"** she growled.

"So what? So what if it's too dangerous? You risked everything to save me! I know you're not the self-sacrificing type, Ymir. You're stubborn, confrontational, and kind of a bitch to everyone around you, but you'll do whatever it takes to keep us both alive. What better way to ensure that than to take out the Titans that are trying to kill us all?"

Ymir let out another growl as she took those words into consideration. Her original plan was to keep running until the Titans were in the dust. Then again, there could be more of them out there and the last thing she wanted to do was get jumped on by one of those beasts.

Seeing a Scout nearby, she ran over and deposited Krista right in front of him, causing him to recoil in shock.

 **"Keep her safe, or I will bite your head off,"** she threatened before taking off for the tower. Now that Krista was released, she could move on all fours, a much faster way to travel. As expected, many of the Titans began pursuing her, especially after she slaughtered one of them quickly.

"What the hell is she doing?" he questioned.

"She's going to bring the tower down!" Krista answered, making sure that Mike heard her.

"What? That's insane!" the Scout replied.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Mike said. "Scouts, fall back from the tower!"

Confused, but obedient, the remaining three did as ordered.

Once the Titans were nearly upon her, Ymir leapt into the air and landed next to the broken part of the tower. She began circling it, removing bricks in the process and lobbing them at the monsters.

Needless to say, the people on top were awestruck that this was happening as the tower slowly began to tilt.

"Brace yourselves!" Nanaba ordered. "We're going down hard!"

"Yeah, attagirl!" Krista cheered from afar.

Quickly, Ymir climbed to the top of the tower. **"Wanna lift? Grab on tight!"**

Seeing that face up close made Connie consider taking his chances, but he swallowed his fear and approached her like the others. Carefully, but rapidly, she stuck all five of them in her hair. Once the tower was closer to the ground, she climbed onto the side, holding on as it crashed onto the horde of Titans, kicking up dirt and smoke all around them. As expected, the tower buried the Titans alive, leaving them immobilized for the moment. Seeing that the coast was clear for the moment, Ymir dropped her passengers abruptly.

"What… the hell just happened?" Gelgar asked with a cough.

"We just got saved by a Titan," Nanaba answered, wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Now I really wish I had that drink," he stated, shaking his head.

She rolled her eyes and chose not to comment on that.

The victory was short-lived as the Titans slowly began to rise out of the debris.

"Oh, come on!" Connie complained before turning to Ymir. "Hey, ugly, job's not finished!"

Making a mental note to get Connie back for that insult, Ymir charged into the fray. Jumping onto the back of the Titan, she pulled out the nape with a single bite, killing it instantly. Unfortunately, she was pulled off of the corpse and pinned the ground by a nearby Titan. Within seconds, the rest of them began going after her and, to everyone's horror, began to eat her Titan form. Ymir thrashed in their grip, trying to escape, but it was futile.

"Oh, my God," Nanaba whispered.

"Ymir, no!" Krista screamed, trying to run for her before getting restrained by the Scout that was tasked to keep her safe. "Let me go!"

"There's nothing you can do!" he pointed out harshly. "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"Ymir, you can't leave me!" she cried out, tears falling down. "I still haven't told you my real name! We had a deal!"

The others were confused at those statements, but figuring that out was low on the priority list at the moment.

"Stay here," Mike ordered the two, mounting his horse. "The rest of you, defend that Titan!"

With a final war cry, he led two of the remaining Scouts on horseback towards the Titan horde, ready to die to make sure Ymir would survive.

Gelgar's determination returned as he drew his sword. "What do you say, Nanaba? Think you can kill more than me?"

She chuckled, drawing her sword as well. "You're already behind from earlier." She turned to the others. "Run as fast as you can. We'll hold them off."

"That's suicide!" Bertholdt protested. "You won't survive this!"

"Probably not," Gelgar admitted, "but we can't let her die."

Nodding to each other, the two began running straight for the Titan horde when a Titan suddenly appeared from behind a large piece of debris. They froze as it started going for them only for a green blur to pass right by the nape, slicing it open. As the lifeless Titan slumped over, the Scout turned around to reveal herself as being Mikasa.

"Nice work, Ackerman," Nanaba complemented. "Are the others here?"

"Reinforcements have arrived," she assured with traces of a smirk on her face.

Within seconds, the ruins were swarmed by Scouts who were taking down the Titans in quick succession. The mindless monsters stood no chance against them as, one by one, they began to fall.

"Disperse and canvass the area," Hanji ordered with her group as they rode towards them. "The rest of you follow me to where the Titans are gathering and cut them down!"

Suddenly, one of the Scouts leapt of his horse and went straight for a Titan.

"Wait, you're not part of the offensive!" Hanji scolded.

Said Scout was Eren who, with a yell of "Die!", sliced open the nape of an eleven-meter Titan. "Ha hah! My very first ODM kill!" he exclaimed with a huge grin.

His triumphant moment was short-lived as the cables were crossed. He landed harshly on the ground, stumbling onto his back.

"Real smooth, Eren," Dillon teased as he took down a nine-meter.

"Shut up, Dillon!" he demanded, embarrassed.

Steeling himself for the task at hand, Dillon spotted Connie, Reiner, and Bertholdt running towards Eren's position. Letting out a deep breath, he landed directly in front of them, making a far better landing than the Shifter did.

"Hey, guys," he greeted, looking up at them. "Did you miss me?"

Reiner and Bertholdt would've responded to that, but they noticed something in his tone was off.

"Hey, you're back!" Connie exclaimed happily given the last time he saw him, he was practically in a catatonic state.

Dillon didn't respond, focused on doing what he had to. With a flash of his eyes, four bricks levitated into the air and smashed directly into the back of Reiner and Bertholdt's heads, knocking them out instantly. "That was too close."

Connie whirled around in shock, staring at the unconscious bodies of his friends. "What the… what just happened!?"

"I'll explain later," he assured, pulling out some rope to tie them up.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" he demanded angrily.

"Connie, stand down!" Nanaba ordered as she and Gelgar approached them quickly. "It's all part of the plan."

He stared at them all with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Look!" Carelessly, Dillon ripped off the sling, revealing the wounds.

Connie's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw steam emit from the bite marks as they slowly began to heal. "What…he's…?"

"Everything will be explained later!" Dillon stated as he began binding Reiner's hands. Gelgar did the same to Bertholdt, silently praying that they wouldn't wake up. The blacksmith paused what he was doing and pulled two sedatives out of his jacket, handing one of them to Gelgar. They were quickly injected into the Shifters to guarantee that they wouldn't be waking up soon.

Amidst all this, Annie joined in the fray, slashing away at the Titans. It seemed like she was competing against Mikasa for most Titan kills, which became more apparent by the smirk she gave Mikasa as she stole her kill. These two women of destruction made short work of the remaining Titans as the last of them were killed.

Once they were taken down, Annie landed next to Dillon, eying them carefully. "If they try anything-."

"Calm down, Annie," Dillon urged, tightening the bonds. "We got them."

"Check them for weapons," she advised. "They could have a hidden knife like I did."

Nodding, he gave Reiner the pat down, searching for anything that could be a sharp object. Finding nothing, he did the same to Bertholdt and came up empty. "They're clean."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Connie all but begged.

Seeing that the last of the Titans had been taken care off, Dillon nodded, motioning Sasha to join them. "We'll make this brief."

"Wait, where's Ymir and Krista?" Annie wondered.

Connie gestured over to the middle of the ruins. "Over there, but you guys won't believe what happened."

"Try me," Dillon dared.

Annie, however, began walking towards the area where the two girls were and her eyes widened at the sight.

Krista was on her knees next to an unconscious Ymir, but surrounding them were pieces of a Titan's body. What caused her wide-eyed expression was the fact that Ymir was missing a leg, an arm, and a chunk of her stomach yet bits of steam were coming out of the injuries, indicating that she was a Titan Shifter.

 _If she's a Titan Shifter… then she's the one that ate Marcel._ Annie concluded, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight.

"Annie, are you…?" Dillon left the sentence unfinished as he saw what she saw. "Is… is Ymir…?"

"She's the missing Titan Shifter," Annie finished for him quietly. "The one who ate Marcel."

Soon enough, many of the Scouts, including Ymir's friends gathered around, staring in shock. It was unbelievable that not only Ymir was a Titan Shifter, but that there were five Titan Shifters that were part of their ranks. The odds of that were astronomical, and yet, here they were. Not to mention the fact that Ymir's loyalties were currently unknown, so she was a wild card at the moment.

Suddenly, there was a slight, almost unnoticeable groan coming from the girl.

"Ymir?" Krista asked softly.

Slowly, Ymir opened her eyes to see her staring down at her, smiling with utter relief.

"Just as promised," she said. "My real name is Historia."

Dillon stared at her for the longest time and only one question went through his mind. _Is there anyone in our squad that_ isn't _hiding a life-altering secret?_

* * *

With Reiner and Bertholdt in custody, things were looking up for the Scouts. Not only were they able to take out the remaining Titans in the area, but now the Armored and Colossal Titans were taken care of. They would be transported to an underground cell where they wouldn't be able to transform, and they would be interrogated which would most likely be followed up by execution. As long as they were out of the way, Annie could care less.

As for Ymir, she was treated with far more dignity. Her wounds, though healing, were bandaged up to help speed up the regeneration process. They even put her on a stretcher so she could be safely transported to Trost to get proper medical care. All in all, she was going to be okay.

The remaining cadets of the Top 10, however, were heavily engrossed with Dillon and Annie filling them in on everything that occurred while they were stuck in a Scout Outpost for a week. Of course, the reaction they received when Annie revealed she was the Female Titan was to be expected.

"Are you kidding me!?" Connie demanded, glaring at the blonde. "You were out to kill everyone from the start!?"

"After everything we've been through!?" the newly-revealed Historia cried. "All that time… and we meant nothing!?"

"…It was my mission," Annie admitted softly. "I wasn't supposed to get close to anyone. I wasn't supposed to make friends. I wasn't supposed to care… but I did all of that."

"Could've fooled me," Connie snorted. "I thought you hated us."

"I didn't," she stated. "I never did. Each one of you had your faults, and some of you got on my nerves very easily-." She briefly looked at Sasha when she said that. "-but I didn't hate any of you." She let out a sigh. "If you guys hate me for what I've done, then go ahead. I deserve it and so much more, but I'm fighting for you now. I'm not the same person I was a month ago. Hell, I'm not the same person that came here five years ago."

"I think we all know who to thank for that one," Sasha said with a smile.

She glanced over at Dillon, who was sitting on top a piece of debris as he listened. "I was on the brink of no return and he pulled me back."

"What about Reiner and Bertholdt?" Connie asked. "Do you think we can pull them back?"

"They are determined to complete the mission by any means necessary," Annie told them gravely. "I'm not saying you shouldn't try, but don't be surprised if you fail."

Historia let out a sad sigh. "I… I can't believe it. They were our friends. They looked out for us. And Reiner, he saved our lives yesterday. I actually thought they… cared about us."

Annie approached her, giving her a sympathetic look. "The worst part about all of this? It's not all lies. The three of us grew fond of you all, but… it mattered more to us to do what we thought we had to do. For what it's worth… I am so sorry for everything I did to you and to humanity."

Connie massaged his forehead, feeling a migraine coming on. "This is so much to take in."

"Trust me, you've only heard half the story," Dillon informed. "Once those two are put away, you'll get a lot more life-altering news."

"I've got a question," Sasha interjected. "Since when could you move things with your mind?"

He chuckled a little. "I've had mental abilities all my life. They call people like me Psions. Historia was one of the few people that knew what I was capable of."

"It was during the time she was kidnapped, wasn't she?" Sasha guessed.

Historia nodded in confirmation. "Yes. I figured it out and confronted him afterwards."

"Lucky you," Annie said dryly. "You got to know before his girlfriend."

Dillon rolled his eyes. "Anyways, your real name is Historia?"

Another nod from her. "Yes. Historia Reiss."

There was an awkward silence as the last name sunk in.

"As in, the Noble Family Reiss?" Annie pressed.

"The same. I'd, uh, rather not talk about it right now."

 _Dad and I were commissioned to make a sword for them._ Dillon thought. _Never got to deliver it to them unfortunately._

Annie didn't say anything as she processed the name in her head. She heard of the Reiss family, and how they were killed by bandits shortly after the Fall of Wall Maria. However, she knew something about that family that very few people knew, but she chose not to voice it right now. She would discuss it with Historia and Dillon later once things settled down.

"I can't believe all this is happening," Connie commented. "A guy with psychic powers, four Titan Shifters suddenly appearing, an Ape Titan, and now Krista is actually-."

"Wait, did you say, 'Ape Titan?'" Dillon interrupted.

He nodded. "Yeah. He was throwing pieces of the Wall at us, but when Ymir transformed, he vanished."

Annie's eyes narrowed as she started getting to a safe distance to shift. "He's another Titan Shifter and you're lucky you survived."

" _Hanji, Annie and I are going to search for the Beast Titan,"_ he informed her.

" _All right, Dillon,"_ she replied. _"We'll take it from here."_

" _Make sure that there's no way they can get out of this,"_ he stated.

" _Dillon, I'm not an idiot. Relax! We've got them."_

" _I'll be more relaxed when they're safely behind bars and unable to shift."_

Once that was over, Annie cut herself with her ring, initiating the transformation.

"Holy shit!" Connie exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the blinding explosion.

"Easy, guys!" Dillon shouted over the loud noise. "This is normal!"

Once the Female Titan was formed, she stared down at them. _**"Dillon, am I linked?"**_

The trio of cadets stared up at her, eyes wide and jaws dropped. They had never seen a Titan quite like her before.

" _You should really learn how to talk normally."_ One eye flash later, and the three had a mental connection.

"Annie being the Female Titan," Connie commented with wide eyes. "That's not terrifying at all."

She let out a sigh. _**"Connie, I'm not going to hurt you."**_

"She just talked in my mind!" Sasha pointed out, surprised.

"My doing, Sasha," Dillon stated, tapping his head to remind them how before walking over to his girlfriend. "We're going to look for the Beast Titan."

"You think he's still here?" Historia asked, concerned.

" _ **Either that, or he's in Wall Maria territory,"**_ Annie answered, lifting Dillon to her shoulder. _**"If he's still here, I'm bringing him down now."**_

"Make sure that you three keep your distance from Reiner and Bertholdt," he advised, gripping onto her hair tightly. "Just in case something goes wrong."

"Dillon, you smashed their heads with bricks and sedated them," Connie reminded him.

"Call me paranoid if you want, but considering their actions, I wouldn't put a damn thing past them."

Making sure that he was holding on tight, Annie began running into the forest nearby. While not nearly as big as the Forest of Giant Trees, it was still big enough to hide a Titan Shifter if the case called for it. She stretched out her senses, trying to pick up any sign of the Beast Titan, but he was nowhere to be found. She followed Wall Rose, believing that he wanted to be close to an escape route if the case called for it. Once she found him, she would kill him. End of story.

* * *

With a clenched fist, Eren stared at the unconscious forms of the Shifters as they were loaded onto the lifts. Despite being told about their true identities and their mission, he still felt the deep cut of betrayal. These two were his friends, and Reiner was a true confidant when he needed him to be. All that time he spent talking to them about his past and why he was here, to think they were responsible for all the pain and misery he went through five years ago.

"Why not just kill them now and be done with it?" he questioned to no one in particular.

"They could have valuable information about Marley that Annie doesn't," Hanji answered, having heard him.

"We're not going to cut a deal with them, too, are we?"

She shook her head, a grim look crossing her features. "There's no point. We already have you and Annie on our side. We don't need them."

He let out a snort, but didn't respond.

Hanji resisted the urge to sigh. While it was true that Reiner and Bertholdt would be interrogated, it was far from the primary reason they weren't dead yet. Once they were safely behind bars, there was going to be a very serious discussion on what to do with them. There was a prime opportunity to take their powers for themselves and use them against Marley. The question would boil down to if they could trust Annie to give her one of their abilities. Hanji truly believed that the girl was on their side, and it was likely that Levi would attest to that given what happened in Stohess the day before. They just needed to convince everyone else.

What worried Hanji the most was Eren himself. She had already seen firsthand what happened when he lost control, and unless he could get it in check, giving him another ability seemed like it would worsen his mental state. Still, Annie did promise to teach Eren how to maintain control of himself and not fly off into a blind rage, so her worries would be unfounded. Until then, she had a lot to think about.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Mikasa approaching them, and she decided to leave the two alone.

"Were you able to untangle your cables?" Mikasa asked, concerned.

He nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't that hard to do. Just have to be more careful next time."

"Good." Her eyes went to the lift as the Shifters slowly rose towards the top of the Wall.

"I thought it would hurt less since I knew earlier," Eren confessed quietly, "but it doesn't."

"They were your friends," she pointed out, sympathetic. "This was never going to be easy for you."

"…When Annie first told us, once I got past the denial phase, I began asking myself who would be the next person to betray us. Connie? Sasha? Hell, even Jean?"

"Part of me wondered the same thing," Mikasa admitted. "And now to find out that Ymir was the missing Titan Shifter and that Krista was living under a different name…"

"What an insane world we live in, Mikasa," Eren said, unable to keep himself from chuckling. "A world of Titans, Psions, and conspiracies around every corner. At least I know one thing is for certain."

"What's that?"

He looked at her with true appreciation. "I can always count on you and Armin."

Mikasa couldn't remember the last time that Eren had said something that nice to her, and it truly touched her. "…Thank you, Eren."

"Of course, Mikasa." He sighed with relief. "The war may not be over, but at least we finally caught the bastards that destroyed our home all those years ago."

"We'd better make sure they stay caught," Mikasa advised. "If they try to escape…"

"Do your worst," he told her darkly.

Sharing a nod, the two grappled to the top of the Wall as Ymir's unconscious form was almost there.

"What's the verdict?" Eren asked one of the Scouts. "How bad of a shape is Ymir in?"

The black-haired Scout, Keiji, sighed. "Well, she's missing an arm and a leg, and her insides are scrambled. If she was normal, she'd be a goner."

Eren remembered what it was like to be in that same exact position. At least she wasn't inside the stomach of a Titan like he was. He shook his head as that memory came to him. It felt like a completely different life.

Historia was naturally waiting for Ymir, concerned about her wellbeing. She was still shocked that Ymir was a Titan Shifter, but she was relieved that she wasn't one of the moles plotting to destroy everyone in the Walls. It seemed like the Scout Regiment understood that, but she had to be sure.

"Please, you've got to believe me," she pleaded to Hanji after she testified, for lack of a better word, as to what happened earlier. "I'm telling the truth! Ymir could've run away anytime she wanted; she _chose_ to fight the Titans to save our lives! She had nothing to gain putting her life on the line. Doesn't that speak volumes as to where her loyalties are? She should have told us before, yes. She had no right to keep her power a secret. It's hard to look past how much humankind might have gained from what she had been keeping to herself, but I think… I think she was worried about what people might do to her Clearly, her priorities have changed now. This isn't nearly as complicated as it looks. No one is closer to Ymir than me, and there's no question in my mind as to whose side she's on."

Hanji didn't respond at first as she thought about the incident. Like she said, it seemed open-and-shut. Perhaps it was her paranoia regarding Titan Shifters in general, but she couldn't help but feel something gnawing at her. Still, she owed it to Ymir to remain objective. After all, she did save several lives. Not to mention the fact that the Scout Regiment allowed Annie to fight alongside them after everything she had done, and, aside from keeping this useful ability a secret, Ymir hadn't committed any crimes as far as she knew.

"Is that so?" she finally responded. "Well, under the circumstances, it certainly behooves us to be friendly. Her priorities aside, I'll wager that she could be a very important asset like Eren and Annie are." Once Ymir finally reached the top, she gestured the girl to follow her, changing the subject. "So… Historia Reiss, you said you were?"

She nodded. "I did. That's right."

"Isn't Reiss the name of a Noble Family?"

Historia looked away, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "Yes, it is."

"Huh." Deciding to offer the girl some form of comfort, she clasped her shoulder. "Historia, nice to meet you."

"Th-thank you," she stuttered, surprised by the gesture.

Nodding, the Section Commander approached Ymir's unconscious form once the Scouts laid her down on the ground. "How's she doing?"

"She's comatose, but stable," Moblit informed her. "The bleeding stopped, though steam seems to be coming out of her wounds."

Kneeling next to her, Historia gently rubbed the scars on Ymir's face, hoping it would help her.

"Best course of action is taking her back to Trost where the poor girl can get proper medical care," Hanji stated. "She's in your hands."

"Consider it done," a female Scout with cherry-brown hair, Nifa, replied.

"Right, then." She turned to the edge where the unconscious bodies of Reiner and Bertholdt almost reached the top. Keep them steady! Is the carriage ready!?"

"All potential ways they could cut themselves have been removed," Moblit responded, gesturing towards the horse-drawn vehicle that awaited the prisoners.

"Excellent! Make sure the next dose of sedatives is ready for them. Can't have their abilities wake them up too soon."

Nearby, Mikasa effortlessly pulled Connie on top once his lift eventually made it.

"Thanks, I needed that," he said.

"Are you injured?" she asked.

"Physically, I'm fine," he answered with a sigh. "Emotionally… so much has happened and I'm still trying to process everything."

"You can add me to that list," Sasha pointed out, staring at her former friends. "It's so hard to believe that they were willing to destroy all of humanity, and for what?"

"It doesn't matter their reasons," Mikasa stated coldly. "No amount of sob stories are ever going to be enough to make me feel the slightest bit of sympathy for them. They dug their graves the moment they destroyed the gates in Shiganshina, and we're going to fill them in."

Wisely, the duo of cadets backed away from her.

Connie, however, was unfortunate enough to bump into Hanji. "Section Commander, I'm so sorry!"

"Calm down, Connie," Hanji requested. "It's fine. I heard about what happened in your village."

He looked down, still feeling the loss.

She let out a sigh. "Once we're on our way to Trost, come find me. There's something I need to tell you."

That grabbed his attention instantly. "What!?"

"Later," she stated sternly. "For now, keep your focus off of that."

Nodding, Connie looked at his unconscious comrades. "A little dangerous to transport them on top of the Wall, isn't it?"

"It's possible that there are more Titans in Wall Rose," Hanji explained. "Rather not wander into an ambush, especially if the Beast Titan is still out there."

"Right." He looked away awkwardly. "So… is Annie seriously on our side?"

"Uh-huh," she answered. "If you're worried that she's going to backstab us again, don't be. She had plenty of opportunities to escape and she didn't. It's because of her we managed to be so prepared for the Beast Titan and his minions, though Ymir being a Titan Shifter was an unexpected development."

"The development was nothing short of a miracle," a familiar voice said.

Smiling, Hanji turned and shook the hand of her friend, who was flanked by Nanaba and Gelgar. All three of them managed to replenish their blades and tanks, making them good to go. "Mike, it's so good to see you again."

"You as well, Hanji," he said, returning the smile. "You seem to be handling things smoothly, though I'm unable to locate Annie Leonhart and Dillon Amsdale."

"They went to scour the nearby areas for the Beast Titan," she told him. "On one hand, I'm hoping they locate him so we can ensure that a blow against Marley is struck. On the other hand-."

"You want to avoid a violent battle," he finished for her. "I can understand that. He's not an opponent to be taken lightly."

"At least you made it out alive," Gelgar pointed out.

"I could say the same for you two," Mike replied, "though I wish Lynne and Hanning could share this victory with us."

Nanaba nodded in agreement. "Can't believe they were taken out by a cheap shot."

"The Beast Titan is a ruthless tactician from what I've seen," Mike stated. "We should consider ourselves fortunate that we managed to survive his assault."

"Once we get back home, I'll definitely drink to that," Gelgar said before he facepalmed. "Crap, that bottle of ale was in the tower when it collapsed! Damn it!"

Mike chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "Easy there, Gelgar. I'll buy you a round later."

"Sir, with all due respect, don't encourage his skewed priorities," Nanaba requested, though it was a half-hearted statement if the smirk was any indication.

Hanji would've joined in on their conversation, but she noticed a middle-aged blonde man riding towards them flanked by two Scouts.

"Hannes?" Mikasa identified, surprised to see him.

"That's the Garrison Advanced Squad," Hanji added. "I wonder if they found the breach." _Or if there even is one._

Once they were close enough to the Wall, Hannes grappled up to the ledge, delivering the news many of the Scouts didn't want to hear. "Wall's perfectly fine."

"What?" Eren questioned, pulling him up.

"Spent all night trying to find out where they're getting in, but between Trost and Krolva District, nothing! No hole anywhere."

"Bastard," Hanji swore, coming to terms with what was really going on.

Hannes staggered back. "Ma'am, I apologize, but we did the best we-."

"Not you."

"What is it?" Sasha asked in a worried tone.

"…Honestly, I was _hoping_ it was a breach," Hanji admitted. "Now, given what we know about the Titans, there's only one possible explanation."

"What are you talking about?" a confused Hannes wondered before his eyes landed on Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. "And what the hell are you kids doing here?"

"Hannes, was it?" Hanji interjected. "You and the others did good work. We'll meet you at Trost for a full debrief."

"Yes, Section Commander." With a sigh, he addressed the trio. "You kids stay safe and keep your head down."

"We will," Eren assured. "And we'll talk later if we get the chance."

"See you then." With nothing left to discuss, Hannes grappled away with the other two Scouts behind him.

"Let's get moving," Hanji quickly ordered. "The sooner we get the Armored and Colossal Titans out of the picture, the better."

"Sedatives are ready," Keiji informed her.

"Inject them, but be careful."

* * *

Dillon's anxiety was shooting through the sky. He constantly looked back at the place where he left Reiner and Bertholdt, half-expecting them to just start charging out at them. He let out a sharp gasp when there was a loud rumbling sound, almost like there was an explosion.

" _ **Dillon, take it easy,"**_ Annie urged calmly. _**"It's just thunder."**_

On cue, the rain began to fall. Some steam began emitting from her Titan form, but it wasn't enough to be bothersome or blind her vision. In fact, she wished there was more of it to cool her current body.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I'm just a little on edge."

" _ **You're not the only one,"**_ she pointed out, slowing down to a walk. She couldn't count how many times she flinched during a thunderstorm.

"…They said that they couldn't find a breach," Dillon said after a pause. "If that's the case, then how did the Titans get in?"

"… _ **I had an idea as to what happened, but I was hoping I was wrong,"**_ she responded. _**"The lack of a breach confirms it, unfortunately."**_

"Confirms what?"

" _ **He created his Titan army**_ **inside** _ **Wall Rose."**_ There was an edge to her voice now.

Dillon's eyes widened at the thought. "…He can do that?"

" _ **The Beast Titan is the closest thing the Marleyans have to the Coordinate,"**_ she explained, scanning the area. _**"Yes, he can do that."**_

Before he could ask for details, there was a loud cracking noise and a large tree thrown right at them. Holding onto Dillon tightly, Annie dived out of the way as the tree brought down several others behind her.

 **"Six years it's been since I've seen you, Annie,"** a deep voice commented in the distance. **"How much you've changed after that time."**

Growling, she rose to her feet, making sure her boyfriend was all right. He was a little shaken up, but he was all right.

Soon enough, the Beast Titan stepped out of the shadows and he did not look happy. **"You betrayed us."**

Dillon quickly set up a link, though he couldn't help but be nervous at the sight of this seventeen-meter tall monster. He had three meters over Annie, and that was enough to make him feel more than a little uneasy about this situation.

 _ **"I did the right thing,"**_ she shot back. _**"Something you have no concept of."**_

If he was surprised about the telepathic talking he didn't show it. His eyes fell onto the boy in her hands. **"And what have we here?"**

 _ **"You touch him, and I'll rip you to shreds!"**_ she threatened with a brief roar, hardening her hands to ensure nothing would happen to him.

"Annie, don't waste your energy!" Dillon warned. "You need to calm down."

Letting out a deep breath, she did that, her hands returning to normal. He was already getting to her.

The Beast Titan let out a deep chuckle. **"So, this is the boy responsible for corrupting you."**

"I saved her from you bastards," Dillon snarled.

 **"Interesting. If your abilities are anything to go by, you are Dillon Amsdale."**

His eyes widened. "How do you know my-?" He froze, remembering something from a few days ago.

 _"You know, Annie, you've been a very bad Titan. I think I need to inform a beast about your failures soon."_

"Elise," he realized. "You two were in contact with each other."

 _ **"She had a carrier pigeon in Kyler's office,"**_ Annie added, putting the pieces together. _**"That's how you two stayed in contact."**_

 **"She was the backup to make sure that nothing would go wrong with the mission,"** he confirmed. **"When you asked for an extra week, I immediately questioned her as to what went wrong. However, she left me without all the facts to pursue her own agendas it seemed."**

 _That doesn't make sense._ Dillon thought. _Why would Elise side with the Marleyans if they were the ones responsible for her condition?_ Saving that for later, he continued addressing him. "Well, she's dead now, and at the rate you're going, you're not far behind."

 **"I'm trembling with fear,"** the Beast Titan replied in a deadpan tone.

 _ **"You turned innocent people into your mindless drones,"**_ Annie said. _**"If you think-."**_

 **"You know, I can't take you seriously with you holding him,"** he interrupted.

Annie let out a low growl, but she placed Dillon on a tree branch. She was about to attack him when there was a loud explosion that caused the ground to shake. This wasn't thunder, but a sound neither of them wanted to hear.

"How did they screw it up!?" Dillon exclaimed angrily, whirling around in the direction of the noise.

 _ **"Their healing abilities must've burned through the sedatives,"**_ she explained, annoyed at how things escalated on that end.

He let out a frustrated grunt before turning his attention back to Zeke. "Then let's take this one down."

" _ **No."**_

"What?"

" _ **Get out of here, Dillon."**_

He gave her a shocked look. "Annie, you brought me here to help stop him and now you're sending me away?"

 **"Amusing that you need that brat,"** Zeke said with a smirk. **"How far you have fallen."**

Dillon glared at him and prepared to mind blast the arrogant Titan.

" _ **Dillon, the Scouts are going to need you,"**_ Annie stated firmly.

His eyes stopped glowing as he let out a deep breath. "...And what about you?"

" _ **I can handle him."**_

Deciding to trust her on this, he gave her a pointed look. "You'd better make it through, you hear me?"

 ** _"I will. Now, go!"_**

With a nod, he took off, leaving the two alone.

 **"What an interesting boy,"** Zeke commented. **"Perhaps I shall see what he's capable of soon."**

" _ **You won't touch him,"**_ she snarled, getting into her fighter's stance.

He looked at her with disappointment. **"...A shame you've become a shell of your former self."**

 _ **"Shut up and fight, you son of a bitch,"**_ she said before running at him. Best of the Shifters or not, she was going to end him.

* * *

 **AN: Start placing your bets, my fellow readers. Next chapter is going to be a doozy.**


	33. Chapter 33

**AN (Please Read): So, I made a huge error. I completely forgot to add to beginning of this chapter to the previous chapter. I do apologize about that. For your convenience, I have kept it here, but once I post Chapter 34, the intro is going to be melded to Chapter 32. I hope any of what I said makes sense.**

 **Edit (11/2/2017): Fixed.**

* * *

Chapter 33: Clash of the Titans

 _I… I can't move._

It was the first coherent thought that came to Reiner as he slowly began to regain his consciousness. His head felt like he smashed it against the wall, making him wonder what could have caused that feeling. The last thing he remembered was seeing Dillon asking him if he missed him. It was good to see that he made a recovery from the Expedition. And then… there was nothing. Did he pass out from blood loss and suffer a concussion? Seemed like the most logical explanation. After all, there were a lot of stone bricks he could have fallen on, and he hoped that he didn't suffer any internal injuries.

 _Why can't I move?_

His focus shifted to his arm, noticing that it felt a bit sore, and yet, nothing felt broken. Considering that he had a Titan's jaw fastened around it earlier, that was more than a bit odd. Maybe he was injected with morphine, which would dull the pain to such a great extent. All the factors seemed to be pointing that he was in a hospital bed making a slow recovery.

However, he felt drops of something wet repeatedly fall on his face. Definitely water, but why would it fall in such a way?

 _Wait… rain. I'm… I'm still outside._

Then, he took notice of another odd factor: there was something in his mouth. It felt like a piece of fabric. Instinctively, he tried to get it out, but it was tightly wrapped around mouth and given that he couldn't move his arms, it wasn't going anywhere for a while. Now, he was completely confused. Why was there a gag in his mouth?

"Given… know… possible…"

Okay, so he wasn't alone. That was a good sign. Despite his wooziness, he did his best to listen to what was going on. It was straining and exhausting, but he managed to pick up a few more words despite his hearing being a bit impaired.

"…kids stay safe and… head down."

"We… later… we…"

 _Come on, Reiner. Focus!_

His vision started to return as he eyes began taking in the colors of black and dark blue. It seemed like the rain had subsided for the moment, so at least he wouldn't have any problems seeing outside of his own injuries impeding him.

"…moving… sooner… and Colossal Titans, the better."

 _Why are they talking about them?_

"Sedatives are ready."

"Inject them, but be careful."

It was as if time had stopped as he began facing the realization of the situation. The gag, the fact he couldn't move, and the head injury. The Scouts… they figured it out. They knew who he was, who Bertholdt was. At first, he tried to brush it off as his paranoia taking control, but he couldn't let it go. He couldn't afford to.

He was able to turn his head and noticed a Scout walking towards him with a sedative and then immediately freezing when he noticed the motion.

"He's awake!" he exclaimed.

"Hurry!" a female voice commanded urgently.

 _They've got me!_ He thought as he frantically tried to think of a way out of this situation. If they injected him, it was over. His mission would fail and he and Bertholdt would never be able to return home as a result. He needed something, anything, to cut himself with. Then, he could be free and he could fight.

Then, he saw it. A chance that needed to be taken. The needle of sedative that was coming for him was his only shot. A long one, to be sure, but there was no other option left. He needed to scratch himself with it.

The Scout pinned his head to the ground with one hand and moved the needle towards his neck. He struggled a bit to loosen the man's grip on his head, and, in a panic, he tried to inject him quickly. With all the strength he manage, he turned his head sharply, causing the needle to slash his neck instead of impaling it. The Scout gasped, recoiling a bit before moving to try again. However, the damage was already done.

Energy crackled around Reiner as the transformation began. It rejuvenated his energy, making him feel strong once more. He didn't know how these people figured out who he was, but it didn't matter. Despite the advanced warning there was nothing they could to stop him. He was going home, and Eren would be dragged along with him.

He saw another Scout move to cut his head off, but then lightning struck his body. It was too late for them.

* * *

A phrase that Hanji learned quickly during her time with the Scouts was that no plan survives first contact. Many times, things would go wrong, and when they did, people would have to adapt to the new situation and improvise a new solution. She cursed herself for not using a far stronger sedative for the Shifters, but she had to think fast for a solution. The moment energy started crackling around Reiner, she knew the situation would escalate, so she did the only thing she could do.

"Everyone, get back!" she yelled, pulling a couple of her subordinates away from them.

She took notice that a Scout had attempted to kill Reiner before the transformation was complete, and for the briefest of moments, she believed that he was fast enough. Any hopes were dashed the moment lightning struck his body.

Naturally, that Scout and any of the others that didn't heed her warnings were caught in the blast and killed instantly. To make matters worse, his transformation set off Bertholdt's transformation, causing a chain reaction of explosions. The blast was strong enough to send nearly everyone flying off the wall, though the Scouts were able to grapple onto the ledge. Despite not having ODM gear, Connie and Historia were able to stay on top albeit barely. The wind continuing to bluster around them as the transformation was completed, the two Titans letting out their roars.

The Colossal Titan, this time around, was only half formed. Instead of legs, his waist consisted of claw-like bones that kept his body attached to the top. His long arm stretched out towards Ymir, who went flying as a result of the blast, and caught her, trapping in his fist.

"Ymir!" Historia cried out.

The Armored Titan, on the other hand, manifested himself completely. His yellow, glowing eyes pierced through the smoke, giving off a very ominous aura. The skinless body was covered in yellow-brown armor that wasn't going to be easy to get through. He spotted Eren in midair, having been blasted off the ledge before he could get away, and snatched him quickly, glaring at him. Quickly, the Titan jumped off the edge, sliding down the Wall.

Eyes blazing with fury, Eren screamed, "DAMN YOU, YOU TRAITORS!" before sinking his teeth into his hand.

Quicker than it usually took, the Rogue Titan manifested around Eren, hand already turned into a punch. With a roar, Eren smashed Reiner's head into the Wall as they slid down before making a hard landing. It resulted in two large craters being formed, one for each Titan.

"Eren!" Mikasa exclaimed as she landed on the side of the wall, worried about him. With gritted teeth, she stared up at the Colossal Titan. She couldn't believe that no matter the precautions they took, they still weren't enough for these bastards. By sheer, dumb luck, they were able to escape. It was a relief that this wasn't happening in a populated city like the last time they tried to capture a Titan Shifter, but this felt more humiliating.

On top of the Wall, Hanji and her section along with Mike, Nanaba, and Gelgar, stared at Bertholdt, waiting for him to make the first move. Steam was emitting from his entire body, making them feel like they were standing in front of the furnace. He finally reared his arm back, ready to strike.

"Move, everyone!" Hanji commanded.

With two Scouts grabbing Historia and Connie, the Scouts turned tail and ran as the massive hand came crashing down. Most of them were able to get away. However, one soldier wasn't so fortunate as he was crushed underneath its palm. They watched in horror as the monster tossed both Ymir and the dead soldier into his mouth, slamming it shut soon afterwards.

"Shit!" Keiji swore as he and the rest of the Scouts landed on the side of the Wall.

"No, this isn't happening," Sasha said, trying to deny what her eyes were seeing.

"I knew he was the Colossal, and yet…" Armin couldn't finish, still grieved that one of his friends was a traitor and a killer.

Historia was at a loss for words. She couldn't believe that she lost the woman she loved.

Hanji, however, was reaching a boiling point. Not only did the plan fail spectacularly, but now she lost one of her men to that monster. If that didn't seal his and the Armored Titan's fate, nothing else would.

"Soldiers, prepare to attack!" she ordered, taking charge. "The Colossal Titan doesn't walk away from this! It's a curse to all mankind! Swarm and terminate!"

Determined, the Scouts followed Hanji up the wall, flying above Bertholdt. This would deplete their tanks tremendously, but as long as they could kill him, it would be all worth it. With a growl, he threw a punch at the group Hanji was in, but they managed to split off in the nick of time, zooming down his arm like annoying flies. Getting irritated, Bertholdt attempted to punch another group that was attempting to get close, but like the others, they narrowly dodged his slow attacks.

"This guy's slower than I thought he'd be!" Gelgar stated.

"With a body that big, it should be no surprise," Nanaba replied.

Both groups combined into one large section as they divebombed toward his unguarded nape.

"He's wide open!" Hanji yelled. "Slice the nape!"

As things usually went when fighting Shifters, it was never that easy. Letting out an ear-piercing roar, a tidal wave of steam jettisoned out from his body, aimed at the Scouts. They were knocked out of the air by the scalding heat, screaming in pain as they were burned.

"Fall back!" Hanji ordered quickly as she managed to get her bearings. "Fall back!"

Fortunately, no one was killed by the defense mechanism, but many of them sustained more than a few burns.

"My… my hand," one of the Scouts said, dropping his sword as he clutched his burning hand.

"Water! We need water!" a blonde-haired Scout, Rashad, stated.

Hanji stared at, for lack of a better description, the Titan-sized, out-of-control geyser with a clenched a fist. "Ugh, he's vanishing!"

"I don't know," Armin replied. "Something's different here. The last time he disappeared, it was, more or less, instantaneous. He's maintaining his form to emit heat. I think he's protecting himself!" He tested his theory by launching a hook at him, only for the hot air and steam to blow it right back. "As long as he generates steam, our rigs are useless! What do we do?"

"Annie told us that this would be a possibility," Mike pointed out, remembering the amount of information she gave them regarding the other Shifters. "While it's a great defense mechanism, it can't last forever."

"You're right," Hanji agreed. "All we can do is wait." She turned to address her section. "Squads 3 and 4, take position behind the target! Rashad has command!"

"Got it," Rashad replied.

"Squad 2, stay put! Lauda has command!"

"Understood," a black-haired man with a bit of a ponytail, Lauda, responded.

Mike spoke to the survivors from the Utgard Castle Assault. "You are all on stand-by for any equipment we need including extra gas, water, and blades! Is that understood!?"

"Yes, sir!" they answered.

"The minute he comes up, we rush the big bastard," Hanji went on before addressing Armin. "Forget taking them alive. We destroy them here and now. No second thoughts."

Armin's eyes widened for a brief moment before steeling himself. They had made their choice, and they would face the consequences.

"You're with me," she stated before jumping off the Wall. "Squad 1, look alive! We've got a date with the Armored Titan! Mike, you see an opening, take it!"

"Naturally," he replied.

"Krista, Connie, stay further back," Nifa advised as the two cadets in question carried a couple of Scouts to safety. "For now, just take care of those two."

Before she could leave, Historia spoke up. "Ymir, she… she's not dead. It just isn't possible. I know it." She stared up at her with tears filling up. "Please save her!"

"Don't worry," she assured, returning to the others.

Mike stared at the Colossal Titan with disgust. "You and your comrades have caused nothing but grief, pain, and death for the past five years. Today marks your day of reckoning, and you two won't escape from it."

* * *

(Wall Rose Territory)

Once Annie was close enough, the Beast Titan backhanded her hard enough to send her crashing through several trees. She let out a groan, berating herself for letting her emotions take control like that. Her eyes widened as he effortlessly uprooted a tree. He ran at her and brought it down like a club, but she managed to roll out of the way. Hardening her foot, she kicked his knee, breaking it instantly. He fell to one knee and was immediately kicked back with enough force to send him onto his back.

" **I see you haven't lost your fighting prowess,"** the Beast Titan commented as his knee began healing.

Annie didn't respond as she took her stance. She knew the only strategy for this fight was to wear him down. While she had her speed, hardening, and combat skills, his body was massive enough to take those blows, and he had a greater reach. She would have to conserve her crystalizing and wait for the opportune moment. For now, she was going to let him make the next move.

Smirking, he charged her, swinging away with the tree. She jumped back from his first swipe and by his next swipe, she performed a spin kick with hardening her leg, breaking the tree in half. However, it nearly broke her leg, leaving her with a limp for the moment. When he tossed what was left of the tree at her, she simply knocked it aside. With those gangly arms, it was going to be a challenge to get past them. Now, if she could just rip them off, she would have a much better chance at defeating him.

However, he scooped up the ground and threw it right into her face, blinding her temporarily. Trying to anticipate his next attack, she moved left, but instead, she got caught in a chokehold and was slammed against a tree. Luckily, Annie thought fast and sliced his fingers off with her hardened ones. He let out a pained roar as she quickly snaked behind him. Jaw opening wide, she moved to tear out his nape but when she bit down, her teeth were shattered on impact. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw that his nape was hardened.

" _ **WHAT!?"**_ she thought.

" **Did I forget to mention I could do that?"** the Beast Titan as he elbowed Annie in the gut, causing her to crash through some more trees. **"Must have slipped my mind."**

" _ **Go ahead and laugh, Zeke,"**_ Annie replied, slowly getting back up. _**"It'll make your defeat much more satisfying."**_

He sighed sadly. **"It seems that you do not understand the futility of your situation. Perhaps five more minutes should be enough for you to see the truth."**

* * *

(Wall Maria Territory)

Eren wasn't doing quite as well as he hoped. He was punching Reiner repeatedly with everything he had, yet they were doing little to no damage. To make matters worse, throughout his punching, one of his hands were completely destroyed. Apparently having enough, the Armored Titan punched him once in the face. It sent him flying into the air and he crashed to the ground on his back, skidding across the ground. His face was wrecked by that one blow, and that just pissed him off.

 _Reiner, you lying, piece of shit!_ Eren thought furiously. _Going off by what it means to be a soldier, always talking about honor. Played us all for fools, huh? Combat training must have been a joke to you! How much were you holding back? And here, I took you to be a stand-up guy. Calm under pressure, intensely focused, a sort of man who puts his comrades before himself._

The ground shook as the Armored Titan approached him slowly.

 _Damn you. I'd have given anything in the world to be half as strong as you. You were my hero!_

Mikasa decided to launch her own attack, going for the nape. Since it was armored like the rest of his body, the blades broke off on impact. _That did nothing! He barely flinched when Eren hit him, and my blades don't even make a dent!_ Replenishing her blades, she tried to get the back of his legs and achieved the exact same result. _What's going to take to get through his armor!? Where the hell is Annie and Dillon when you need them!?_ "Eren!"

His energy returning to him, his wounds began rejuvenating. Rage coursed through his body as he thought about that day five years ago, how these two were responsible for everything that happened. _Hey, Reiner, asshole, I don't know what kind of face you're making right now, but I hope you miserable pieces of shit are pleased with yourselves. If you think I care about what kind of life you lived that brought you to this point, then you're the greatest idiot of all!_

Desperately, Mikasa landed on Reiner's shoulder and tried impaling it, hoping it would do something, but all it did was destroy her blade once more. Her eyes widened in shock as Eren slowly rose up, absolute murder in his eyes. Wisely, she got away from the two.

 _You deserve to be erased! Trash like you can't be allowed to exist! What was going through your head?_ You disgust me! _Just thinking about your face makes my insides_ churn _. You make me wanna puke! You're a_ pest _! A revolting… PARASITE! PEST! AND PESTS…_ _ **HAVE TO BE EXTERMINATED!**_

With another roar, Eren landed the hardest punch he had ever thrown… which did absolutely nothing. Unfazed, Reiner punched Eren once again, resulting in him taking to the skies… again, and plummeting to the ground… again.

However, that punch jogged something in Eren's mind: a memory that seemed like a lifetime ago.

* * *

 _With a pained grunt, Eren fell flat on his back, sustaining more bruises. "Hey, take it easy! That hurt! We're just sparring. You're supposed to hold back a little."_

 _Annie stared down at him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "If you want to hold back, that's your business. I defend myself assuming you're coming at me with everything you've got. Otherwise, what's the point? Let's remember: I'm the girl. I'm weaker. I have to protect my frail, little body from the big, bad man."_

 _"What? Ha hah, Annie. Very funny. You're a riot" he replied, not at all amused by her patronizing tone. "Frail little nothing. I'm the one who just got shoved in the dirt, you know. Not to mention you were giving Amsdale a run for his money."_

 _"Good point," she conceded, dropping the rifle and taking a few steps towards him once he was back on his feet. "That last move wasn't about who's stronger, okay? I was using a special defense technique. Comes in handy when your opponent has a few pounds on you." Once again, she got into her fighting stance everyone knew her for. "Trust me. You could benefit from learning it."_

 _Eren took a couple of steps back. "Uh, sure. What do you say we take a break now-?"_

 _Annie launched a punch at him which he barely dodged. He tried to return the favor in a panic, but she easily wrapped her arm around his neck from the front. With apparent ease, she threw him to the ground. He frantically tried to escape her chokehold and was failing miserably as he was unable to breathe._

 _"That's enough, Annie," he stated weakly. "You can let go."_

 _Annie scoffed. "Come on. I've barely shown you how this works and already, you're surrendering? There's a twofold benefit here, or don't you wanna learn how to talk to women?"_

 _His face was getting ready as he resorted to begging, feeling like he was going to blackout any second. "All right, whatever! Just, please, stop strangling me!"_

 _"Ah, so you are interested in what I can show you."_

 _"And that doesn't sound suggestive in the slightest," a familiar voice snarked._

 _Rolling her eyes, she looked up at Dillon. "What, are you jealous?"_

 _"Yes, I am envying the position you have put Eren in," he said in a deadpan tone, making no moves to help him._

 _She flashed him a smirk. "Then stick around. I can show you some of my better moves."_

 _"Amsdale, get her off me, you bastard!" Eren demanded._

 _Before he could do just that, there was a loud yell. Annie looked up to see Reiner's body being flung towards her. She narrowly jumped out of the way, causing the boy to land directly on Eren. However, it at least got the job done._

 _"Not really sure I want to know how you got here," Eren said, thinking they might need to make a stop at the infirmary._

 _Reiner only responded with a groan._

 _"Hey, Annie, your technique seems really solid," the assailant being Mikasa said dangerously. "Teach me."_

 _"Not this again," Dillon muttered, wisely getting out of the way._

 _Annie sighed, getting up and circling her. "I'm flattered, but… it's a method for normal people. So… why would you ever need it? Still, I'm curious to know if it can work on animals." She reentered her stance while giving a look to Dillon that told him to stay out of it. "Let's find out."_

 _That caught to attention of the cadets as they quickly abandoned combat training to watch this fight go down._

 _"Is this happening? Holy crap," Eren said, shocked._

 _"Hold up!" Connie exclaimed. "Are these two about to fight?"_

 _"This is gonna be epic," Sasha stated with excitement._

 _"Who do we bet on?" Daz asked._

 _"Who else? Annie," Marco answered._

 _That earned him a death glare on Jean. "What? Idiot! Dinner says Mikasa wipes the floor with her."_

 _"Careful, Jean," Dillon warned with a smirk and crossed arms. "That's my girlfriend you're talking about, and combat skill beats ludicrous strength any day of the week."_

 _Reiner massaged his sore head before asking Eren, "So, who do you think's gonna win?"_

 _"Well, I…" The boy was at a loss for words. "Honestly, I don't know."_

Unfortunately, the memory came to an abrupt end just as the Rogue Titan hit the ground with a very deformed face as a result of the punch.

 _Wait, how did that play out?_ Eren wondered. _And, why's it coming to me now? Is this… is this my life flashing before my eyes?_ Eyes narrowing, he began getting back up to attack the approaching Armored Titan. _So, what? Who gives a shit? It's not like it matters. Not when I feel like this!_

"No!" Armin exclaimed to him. "Back down! You can't win in a fist fight! Make a break for the Wall!"

Eren ignored him as he faced his opponent, eyes glowing with a frozen grin on his face.

"Eren, don't be rash!" he pleaded.

The only response he would give was a roar, blood and a couple of teeth flying out of his mouth.

"Eren!" Mikasa yelled, trying to snap him out of his rage.

Armin's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no."

"He's blinded by rage," Hanji noted. Again.

Almost as if he was bored at this point, Reiner threw another punch at him just Eren did the same.

The second before it made contact, however, Eren ducked out of the way in time. He wrapped his arms around his neck, trapping his arm and constricting his neck. With a roar, he used Reiner's weight against him, pulling him down to the ground.

The Scouts on the Wall were shocked by this development.

"What the hell is he doing?" Hanji questioned.

"Wait, that's… that's Annie's technique!" Armin identified.

Eren's wounds healed as eyes returned to normal. He was in control of his Titan as he raised a fist for a punch. _You know what? Even when Annie was on your side, your master plan seems to have a few holes in it!_

Reiner managed to get one of his arms free as he attempted to get on top. Luckily, it was all part of Eren's plan. As he went down, he wrapped his legs around his neck and shoulder in a triangle-choke.

 _Wanna eradicate humanity!? Maybe next time, don't teach me how to kick your ass!_

Reiner struggled to get out of it, but the Rogue Titan was clenching too tight. So tight, in fact, that his armor on his shoulder started to crack.

 _It's working!_ Eren realized. _I've got him locked! There's still a chance!_

Trying to escape, Reiner grabbed his leg and began to stand up, preparing to lift and slam him.

 _OH, I DON'T THINK SO!_

Quickly, Eren countered by lifting his leg up and slamming him into the ground with it. It was hard enough to break the ground and uproot the trees around them. Keeping him pinned with his legs, Eren pulled Reiner's arm back, causing it to crack. He let out a triumphant roar as he managed to rip it off, his arm now ending at the elbow. The severed arm landed next to Mikasa, who jumped when it crashed nearby.

"He did it," she said, amazed that he pulled it off.

Eren released Reiner at last, prepared to go again.

"Eren, can you hear me!?" Armin shouted once he and Mikasa got close enough.

The Rogue Titan stared down at them, wondering what they wanted.

"Run away! You've got to get closer to the Wall!" he strongly advised. "They're trying to abduct you! We can't let them do that! Trust me! Escape is our best option!"

"You say that, but come on, Armin," Mikasa interjected. "They're not just gonna let us leave."

On cue, Reiner stood back up, letting out a pained growl as steam emitted from his stump.

Behind the cadets, a blonde man with glasses, nicknamed Goggles, spoke to them. "Both of you, fall back now!"

Grunting in annoyance, Mikasa did as ordered along with Armin. However, what they didn't expect was for Eren to follow them, stopping at the Wall. His eyes were still on Reiner, prepared for anything.

"I leave you all alone for 20 minutes, and this happens," a familiar voice stated with annoyance.

The Scouts looked to see Dillon arriving, landing on the Wall with the others.

"Dillon, where's Annie!?" Hanji demanded.

"She's fighting the Beast Titan as we speak," he informed her, though his tone indicated he wasn't happy about her decision. "I came back to help even the odds a little." With a flash of his eyes, Eren was linked up with Hanji, Armin, and Mikasa. "There! Eren can communicate with all of us now."

" _ **Can you all hear me?"**_ Eren asked.

Hanji nodded, grappling down to his shoulder. "Loud and clear, Eren. Now, listen up. If we're going to get you out of here, you've got to buy us some time. Stop Reiner dead in his tracks. Think you break off his leg with another one of those joint holds?"

" _ **Yes, I can,"**_ he answered.

Satisfied, she looked up at the Psion. "Dillon, give him hell, but keep your distance!"

"Got it," Dillon responded. "He won't see it coming."

Seeing that Mikasa didn't have any blades since she used them up on trying to break through Reiner's armor, Armin offered up his. "Mikasa, take my blades."

Nodding, she quickly replenished her stock.

"I'm counting on both you!" Hanji stated, getting off his shoulder and back to the Wall.

"My concentration is going to be solely on Reiner's mind," Dillon told Eren. "If he physically tries to go after me, let me know."

" _ **Don't worry,"**_ he assured. _**"He won't be in a position to go after you."**_

He gave him a smirk before grappling towards some trees.

" _ **This is the one time where running away guarantees victory,"**_ Eren thought as he got into a fighter's stance. _**"You guys are screwed for letting us see your true colors. You've backed yourselves into a-!"**_

"Uh, Eren, we can still hear you!" Hanji interrupted.

Before Eren could respond, he gasped when he saw Reiner making a mad dash towards him, faster than they thought he could run.

 _Oh, no you don't!_ Dillon thought as his eyes flashed, striking him with a strong, mental assault.

Reiner stumbled as he clutched his head in pain, but he was still running. However, the mental attack was enough for Eren to dive out of the way as he hit the Wall hard. The people on top felt it shake a bit, but there was no danger of them falling.

From the angle he was at, Dillon could see exactly why the Armored Titan was able to run. _"Hanji, the backs of his legs are exposed! Now's your chance!"_

Eyes widening, Hanji looked to Mikasa and gave her a nod. It was time to end this.

Even as Dillon kept up his mental attacks and the fact that Reiner's face was beginning to bleed, he still kept going. In fact, he made another run for him that Eren couldn't escape from.

" _ **Bring it on!"**_ he taunted as Reiner rammed his head into his stomach.

The two went down, but Eren managed to wrap his legs around Reiner's back and wrap his arms around his neck. The Armored Titan tried to pull the arm off and slip out of his grasp, and Eren was beginning to feel his grip slipping, but Mikasa intervened. With a yell, she sliced open the back of his knee. Unable to stand on it, Reiner leg gave way, giving Eren the chance to further this chance. He slammed his head, further into the ground, choking the life out of him as the armor on his back began to crack.

He let out screams as the pain in his head grew worse since Dillon was going to town on Reiner's mind. From the brief flashes he could see, it seemed that he had a lot of trauma in him, which was exactly the perfect spot to strike. It didn't matter what caused Reiner to go down this path, or the pain he went through. All that mattered was ending him once and for all.

 _This is for Shiganshina, Trost, and Marco, you son of a bitch!_ He exclaimed mentally, ramping up his attacks.

Getting on his hands and knees, Reiner slowly began crawling, trying to get Eren off of him, but the Rogue Titan's grip was iron. He wasn't letting go anytime soon.

"What's he doing?" Armin asked.

Keiji chuckled. "Hah! Good luck, pal!"

"You got him!" Nifa cheered. "Keep it up!"

After 20 seconds of crawling, Reiner came to a halt to the surprise of the Scouts. With nothing left to do, he began letting out screams that sounded desperation.

Hanji's eyes widened, remembering the last time a Shifter began screaming like that. "Everyone, be on guard. He's calling for backup!"

Goggles quickly grappled to a vantage point and stated, "No sign of incoming Titans."

"He's got no chance in Hell," Keiji stated angrily. "Try screaming without a head, asshole! It's almost off!"

On cue, the nape finally started to crack, blood pouring from it.

Connie, however, stared down at the scene in worry. "I don't like this. There had to be some reason for that scream."

Suddenly, there was a cracking sound that filled the air. He and the Scouts looked at the Colossal Titan, the source of the sound.

"What the…?" Connie's eyes widened, finally realizing what was going on. "No, no, no, NO!"

The bone-like claws detached, causing Bertholdt to tilt in the direction of the Titans.

"ABOVE YOU! LOOK OUT!" Mike screamed.

Eren looked up to see the Colossal Titan plummeting towards him with his mouth wide open and eyes bright red. Even Dillon stopped his attacks the moment he heard the declaration. There was no way either of them could get away fast enough, so they braced themselves for what was to come.

* * *

(Wall Rose Territory)

Panting heavily, Annie took her fighting stance yet again as she slowly got back to her feet. While she was able to score many blows against Zeke, he kept throwing her around and delivering blows that constantly sent her flying. He was tiring her out, and it was working. She couldn't keep this up for long, and he knew it. That being said, there was no way in hell that she would ever give up.

With a loud roar, Annie hardened her leg and spun it in an attempt to take Zeke's head off. Unfortunately, he grabbed hold of it and flung into a couple of trees, knocking her to the ground in the process. Weakly, she attempted to get up, but his massive foot stomped on her head, keeping her pinned. It was over.

 **"You fought well, Annie,"** the Beast Titan complemented sincerely. **"No one could ask for more than that from you, but I'm afraid that it was inevitable you would lose. Perhaps you have it in your mind that you have something better to fight for now, so I truly hope that you will see reason. If you don't, it will grieve me to have to kill you, but I will if you force me to."**

 _ **"I'm not… some rebellious child… that's going to come back,"**_ she growled, trying to get back up. _**"I've made my choice."**_

He sighed. **"For now, at least. I only hope you aren't about to die when you realize what a horrible decision you have made."**

With that, he raised his foot and stomped hard, smashing her skull in completely. Kicking her motionless body to the side, Zeke disappeared into the forest.

* * *

(Wall Maria Territory)

The moment the Colossal Titan impacted the Shifters, his body released an explosion of hot air and steam with a large radius. The Scouts on the Wall were engulfed by the blast in an instant. Armin was about to be blown away as well, but Sasha grappled down and shielded him, having her back face the explosion. Mikasa tried to stand up to the roaring winds, but the tree beneath her gave way, causing her to fly off. The same thing happened to Dillon, who, despite using his powers to push the blast away from, was unable to prevent the tree from crumbling beneath her. The people on top of the Walls were forced to hold on tightly lest they succumb to the fate of their peers.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the Armored Titan was finally free if his roar was anything to go by. Eren was lying motionless beneath him, giving him the opportunity to bite down on his nape and pull it out, taking his real body into his mouth.

Once the explosion began to subside, Bertholdt crawled out of his Titan with ODM gear attached to his back and a motionless Ymir in his arms. As Reiner began retreating, he fired the cable into his back, landing on him and hanging on. However, there was one more person they needed to get.

Slowing down to a halt, Reiner glared down at Dillon, who was lying against the trunk of a broken tree. Combined with the burns on his body and his exhaustion, the Psion was on the verge of passing out, leaving him vulnerable to whatever he had planned. Reiner considered killing him, but he wanted answers before doing so. Without a second thought, he snatched him from the ground and tossed him into his mouth before continuing his run.

"EREN! DILLON!" Armin screamed, his voice echoing in the winds.

All their planning, all their attempts to get one step ahead of the Shifters had been in vain. Now, not only did they escape capture, but they managed to take two people that were crucial to winning against the Titans and the Marleyans. A blow was struck, and unless they could act fast, they wouldn't recover from this.

* * *

 **AN: I also apologize for the briefness of Annie vs. The Beast Titan, but I hope it was still enjoyable to read. See you next time as we see what becomes of our favorite Psion.**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: The Failed Warriors

(Trost)

On top of an interior wall, Commander Pixis was sitting in a cross-legged position, snoring loudly. There were three bottles of alcohol in front of him. Two of them were empty and the third wasn't far behind. He may have been an effective commander of the Garrison , but his drinking did cause some problems, functional alcoholic or not.

With a groan of annoyance, Anka Rheinberger, one of his escorts, approached the sleeping commander. "Ugh! You're kidding me! Wake up, Commander!"

He didn't respond, still completely out of it.

"You'll catch your death sleeping out here," she told him, giving him a slap to the back of the head for good measure.

Were it anyone else, she would be slapped back with an instant courtmartial, but Pixis wasn't anyone else. He grunted, allowing his eyes to open a little. He found his hand going directly towards his head, the hangover kicking in.

"Tell me you didn't drink all this yourself," Anka pleaded, sitting next to him and moving the empty bottles away. "God, sir, please. Keep tossing it back like someone half your age, I'll end up putting you in diapers." The day that happened, she would resign on the spot.

"Doesn't sound so bad to me," Pixis replied with a smile as he picked up the only bottle that wasn't empty, pulling the cork off. "Old men like to be doted on. What's the situation?"

She yanked the bottle out of his hands before he could start chugging it. "Well, several patrol units were sent out. Not many Titans between the first and second defensive lines, and the few that did crop up seemed like they were pretty far apart."

"Hmm." He pulled out his pocketwatch, examining the time. "If Hannes and the advanced squad have managed to follow the Wall without incident, they should be getting back before too long. Fairly straightforward operation. They'd have run into the unit from Krolva about halfway, then turn around towards home. It's a safe assumption that they encountered few Titans, if any. If Wall Rose had been breached, sightings wouldn't be so random."

His musings were interrupted by the sound of ODM gear along with someone calling his name. "Commander Pixis!"

"Ah, Commander Erwin," he greeted, standing up to meet him. "Is it true what I hear about you catching a troublesome little mouse along with recruiting said mouse?"

"Yes," Erwin answered. "It's thanks to her that we managed to obtain a sizeable advantage against the enemy."

Pixis chuckled. "Was that a pun I just heard from you? You must really be in a good mood."

"The pun was unintentional," he stated seriously. "She's been very cooperative."

"And the… other rumor?" he pressed. "The one about a cadet kissing a Female Titan?"

Erwin sighed, knowing that would be brought up. "Yes, Commander Pixis. That is also true."

Pixis shook his head, bemused. "And people consider me to be out of my mind. Pray tell, who was this cadet who would be so bold?"

"Dillon Amsdale, the lover of said Titan Shifter."

He let out a laugh. "Of course! Only an Amsdale would be so bold and reckless, but if they want results, they get results!" He put his fingers to his chin, deep in thought. "Hmm. I haven't seen them in a while. Remind me to pay them a visit once we get this mess sorted out."

"Unfortunately, they are all incapacitated at the moment," Erwin said gravely. "It's a long story that we do not have time for." _And we wasted enough time as it is._

"A shame." He let out a sigh. "Well, we can also hope that the goons in the Interior received a wake-up call. They might even be forced to reconsider their belief system, morally bankrupt as it is."

"Agreed, but it seems they have. Look over there!" He gestured to the courtyard, indicating the people with the MP emblems on their backs. "Military Police. Putting in an appearance where Titans aren't just an academic problem."

"Interesting. Let's see what happens when they encounter a Titan out in the field."

* * *

There were many things that Levi found annoying: Military Police, obnoxious or whiny brats, a filthy room, and an assortment of other things. High on that list was guard duty. Due to his leg injury, he was strictly forbidden to take place in the capture of the Shifters and the elimination of any Titans within Wall Rose. So, to keep him occupied, he was instructed to keep an eye on Pastor Nick, who was giving him the silent treatment. At least his squad could keep him distracted.

"I think this is the first time the three branches united for a single purpose," Eld commented.

"It'll probably be the last," Levi replied. "The second they witness a Titan filling its belly with the bodies of soldiers, they'll be running back to the Interior in tears."

Petra let out a sigh before turning to her captain. "How's your leg?"

"Getting better," he answered. "Unfortunately, it's not good enough for the commander."

"Seems like we're getting separated a lot recently," she noted.

"It's not exactly Levi Squad without Levi," Gunther pointed out.

"You're good soldiers," Levi stated. "Hell, I can see all of you leading your own squads in a few years."

"If Oluo was here, would you be saying the same thing?" Eld asked with a smirk. "Think about it: him trying to emulate you and acting tough, and then _bam!_ Tongue gets bitten and he's escorted to the nearest medic for surgery."

Gunther chuckled. "How the bastard never bled out will always remain a mystery."

Levi let out a sigh as he thought about his fallen friend. "Oluo had his faults, but he was a good soldier."

"He was the one that always could bring a smile to our faces," Petra added. "Most of the time, it was unintentional, but still."

"…Get back here in one piece, will you?" Levi requested. "All of you."

The three of them nodded in agreement.

Within the mixture of soldiers from the three regiments was Jean sitting on a crate and drinking his canteen. He was still a bit miffed that he wasn't able to be part of the team that would capture or kill the traitors, but he knew that they had the best people assigned to that mission. Combined with two Titan Shifters and a Psion, the two would have no chance… at least that's what he hoped. Deep down, he was feeling paranoid that something was going to go wrong like it did in Stohess.

 _They can handle it._ He told himself constantly. _They've got it covered._ Now if only he could have more faith in that line of thinking.

"I can't believe we didn't see one," one of the Scouts behind him commented.

He turned his head to address them, surprised. "You really saying there weren't any?"

The Scout nodded. "I know, right? It's unusually quiet out there."

Jean sighed, looking down at the ground. He knew that no matter what happened, Connie, Krista, Ymir, and Sasha would be in the thick of it. "Wonder if they're still alive?"

Nearby, a trio of MPs were gabbing it up, getting restless.

"What a joke," one of them sneered. "I thought this was supposed to me an emergency."

The second guy chuckled. "Yeah, did we come here to sit on our asses or what?"

The first guy turned to Levi, who was still guarding Pastor Nick, though his squad had finally joined him. "Hey, Levi, where are you hiding all the Titans!?"

His squad glared at them, ready to give them the tongue-lashing of a lifetime, but fortunately, Levi had it covered.

"Problem?" he asked. "You seem eager to be eaten alive, soldier."

The trio stiffened, nervousness creeping through them.

Humanity's Strongest, however, was just getting started. "Huh. Sorry we couldn't make that happen for you today. Plenty of opportunities outside the Wall if you're looking. Lots of Scouting Expeditions. I'd be more than happy for the help. We can all fight Titans together."

Sweat drops appeared on their faces as they glanced at each other.

"Well, you know… there's our work in the Interior, so-."

"HEY!" A Scout rounded the corner, panting heavily. "The advanced squad is back! Go! Tell Commander Pixis!"

Very quickly, the soldiers gathered around as a messenger from Hannes's team, Phil, explained everything that happened to the two commanders.

"I see," Pixis said. "No breach as far as you could tell, correct?"

"That's correct, sir," he confirmed.

"As I thought."

Phil quickly some water before continuing. "But, sir, a situation has developed. You see, we ran into another group on the way back to Trost. It was the Scout Unit led by Section Commander Hanji. There were recruits from the 104th Cadet Corps with them, none of whom had equipment. This may sound crazy, sir, but three of them… were Titans!"

That caused a stir in the group, but Jean was the most vocal. "Wait, three? There was another one? But who was it?" Spotting Sasha in the crowd, who rode over to give her statement to Commander Erwin, he demanded, "Who, damn it!?"

Taken off-guard, she fumbled with her canteen nervously. "I, uh, well…"

Erwin stepped in, clasping his hand on his shoulder. "Jean, calm down." He looked down at the soldier. "What happened when their Titan forms were revealed?"

"The Scouts engaged the Armored Titan and the Colossal as well as best they could, sir," Phil answered, still shaking up from the incident. "But by the time our unit arrived on the scene, it was too late." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

 _Even after all our planning, they_ still _got away._ Jean thought angrily.

Erwin let out a sigh and began making his next move. "We leave in an hour, ready or not!"

With a scattered "yes, sir," the soldiers went double time to prepare for departure.

* * *

(On Wall Rose)

" _Annie… why didn't you come back? You gave me your word. Annie!? ANNIE!"_

With a sharp gasp, Annie's eyes popped open, practically lunging off the ground. She instantly regretted it as she felt a nasty headache come onto her, forcing her to lie back down with a groan. A quick look at her surroundings indicated that she was lying on top of Wall Rose. To her right, she noticed Hanji and her squad unconscious and covered in burns. Definitely Bertholdt's handiwork. Fortunately, they were being attended to by the other Scouts, Connie, and Historia, the cadets finally ordaining their uniforms again.

The memories of recent events came back to her. How she took on the Beast Titan himself and how she was decimated by him. No matter how many blows she managed to land, his were far more brutal and effective. It's what made him a very powerful Shifter. Still, she briefly wondered if she was losing her touch. Ever since her fight with Eren, she had suffered three defeats. Twice by Elise, and once by Zeke. Both had found ways around her defenses and took her down. Not to mention the fact that he left her alive, something she couldn't believe he was willing to do. Then again, she was always the favorite among the Shifters in terms of combat training and the will to get things done effectively. He was confident enough to believe that if they fought once more, he would actually kill her.

She let out a mirthless chuckle, shaking her head. _I scolded Dillon for choosing to take Mikasa on alone, and there I went doing the same thing with Zeke. Hypocritical much, Annie?_

Having heard the chuckle, Nanaba, who was nearby, approached her. "Hey, you're awake."

"For now," Annie replied, holding her head. "How'd I get here?"

"We found you still in Titan form lying in the middle of the forest," she explained. "Took four of us to move your head so we could reach the nape."

"Titan bodies aren't light until the person inside is removed," she pointed out, giving herself the onceover. "Not a single limb lost. Who cut me out?"

Nanaba gestured to a certain blonde boy sleeping in a sitting position next to an unconscious Mikasa. "Armin."

She smiled briefly. "Should have guessed he'd be able to pull it off." She also began noticing knocked out Scouts covered in burn wounds, Hanji among them, being attended to by other Scouts. "You lost, too, didn't you?"

Nanaba sighed, a grim look crossing her features. "Yeah, we did. Reiner and Bertholdt managed to get away, even killed a few of our men… but that's not the worst news."

Annie's eyes widened as she began to realize where this was going.

"They took three of our people: Eren Yeager, Ymir… and Dillon Amsdale."

That one statement hit her like a punch to the gut. Within a few seconds, Annie experienced three different feelings at once. First, there was horror because not only was the person she loved kidnapped, but that her former comrades managed to take two Titan Shifters as well. Then came guilt for sending him away. By trying to keep him out of harm's way, she put him in the perfect position to be snatched. And, of course, there was anger, which began overtaking everything else.

Slowly, she began to rise to her feet.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nanaba demanded.

"You're a smart woman," Annie growled. "Figure it out." Before she could take one step, she was overtaken by her dizziness, causing her to fall.

Quickly, Nanaba caught her before her head could hit the hard ground. "You're not ready to go after them."

"I'll be fine," Annie stated irritably. "I'm a Titan Shifter. I can heal."

"The fact is, Annie, that you _haven't,"_ Nanaba pointed out, her tone becoming stern. "Can you honestly say that you'll be good enough to not only rescue three people, but be able to take on two Titan Shifters? In Titan-infested lands? You need to recover first."

She gave her a withering glare, but deep down, she knew the senior officer had a point. If she were to collapse out there, Titans would feed on her, and the Eldians would lose a Titan Shifter for sure. "Fine… but once I'm ready, I'm going after them whether the Scouts are with me or not."

Nanaba gave a nod, handing her a canteen of water. "Commander Erwin should be here soon. We'll be able to get the rescue mission underway by then."

"The sooner, the better." Annie took a gulp of the water, thankful to have drank something after what felt like forever.

As Nanaba went to help the others take care of the wounded Scouts, a groan sounded nearby, catching Annie's attention.

Slowly, Mikasa's silver eyes opened as she stared at the sky. The sun was off to the side, indicating that it was past noon. Eyes widening, she let out a gasp as she sat up, looking around.

That gasp woke up Armin. "Mikasa!"

Without hesitation, she grabbed him by the collar. "Where's Eren!? Where did he go!?"

"Whoa, calm down!" he exclaimed.

Shoving him back, Mikasa clambered over to the edge, looking at the last place she saw Eren. She ignored his comments about aggravating her injuries as she stared at the large crater that contained only a few four-meter Titans. Clenching her fist, she turned to face Armin. "Where. Is. He?"

"Eren, Ymir, and Dillon were all taken," he finally answered sadly. "They're gone. Reiner and Bertholdt abducted them. He fought… but the Armored Titan was too…" He sighed. "That was about five hours ago

Mikasa stared at him in shock, trying to regain control over her emotions and wrap her head around the terrible situation. "Somebody's gone after them, right? Tell me someone went after them?"

Armin didn't answer for a while, but when he did, it was a quiet, "I'm sorry."

"Why not!?" she shouted, getting right in his face.

"We wanted to, but the horses are on the other side of the Wall," he quickly explained.

"We have Annie! Why isn't she chasing after them right now!?"

"Because I woke up not too long ago," the Shifter in question answered, deciding to get into the conversation and make her presence known. "I got my ass kicked by the Beast Titan and left me unconscious…" She sighed, shaking her head. "I made a bad call. I believed him to be a higher priority, one I needed to focus my attention on. I should have stayed and made sure that if things went wrong, I could've stopped Reiner and Bertholdt, but I didn't." She looked at her dead in the eyes. "I'm sorry."

Mikasa closed her eyes tightly as she faced the ground. "You let him go when you had him. They won't."

"Don't start crumbling into despair on me, Mikasa."

Slowly, she faced Annie, who was giving her a pointed look.

"I've known you long enough to know that you would do anything to save Eren, whether it was from mindless Titans, myself, or anyone else, so don't go down that road. We're going to save them, Mikasa. No matter how many Titans get in our way."

Mikasa let out a sigh and gave a single nod (she still had trouble believing they could save him with so much time having been lost), before turning her attention to her red scarf that was neatly folded next to her. She began unraveling it to put it on as she asked, "Why does he do it? Always leave? Always end up somewhere we're not?"

"Yeah, it does seem to happen a lot," Armin agreed. "Ever since we were kids, Eren liked to run off on his own, leave us worried sick. Who knows? That's the sort of person he's always meant to be… maybe." He looked over at Annie. "You know, despite coming from very different backgrounds, Eren and Dillon are very much alike, even if they don't want to admit it."

She chuckled a bit. "He came to that 'startling' realization recently, but I could see it even when we were all in the Training Academy. They're so set in their ways, a bit hard-headed, reckless, naïve to certain things, and go off on their own to try and take on forces that outnumber or outclass them. Hell, maybe in another life…" She let that statement die considering the company she kept.

"…Why Dillon?" Armin wondered. "I mean, I know why you ended up choosing him over your mission later, but before then… why did you want to be in a relationship with him?"

"…He made me laugh," Annie answered after a pause. "It was over the dumbest thing, yet he was able to pull that off. He took the time to get to know me, and he made me… happy for a change." Another chuckle left her mouth. "Sounds sappy, doesn't it?"

"No, it's not," he assured. "Hearing you talk so positively is a welcome change, Annie."

She looked away for a second, a faint blush of embarrassment appearing.

"…I don't want much," Mikasa said softly, her voice on the verge of breaking. "Just… to be near him. That's all."

Armin let out a sigh, unsure how he could help Mikasa. She was beginning to shut people out again and there was nothing he could do.

"Good, you're awake," a familiar voice stated, relieved.

They looked up to see Hannes carrying a few packets of food. When the Shifters attacked, he returned immediately only to watch them escape. Ever since then, he stuck around to make sure that Armin and Mikasa were going to be all right.

"You must be starving," he noted, handing Mikasa one of the packets. "Here."

Slowly, she took it, but she didn't open it.

"Heads up, Armin!" He tossed another one to the blonde boy, who managed to catch it with little trouble. Seeing Annie, he gave her the last one he had.

"No, I'm all right," she assured. "I can get my own."

"So can I, and you need it more than I do," Hannes pointed out.

She stared at the ration for a moment and relented, taking it. "Thank you."

"Of course, kid," he replied with a grin. "Granted, they're field rations, but better than nothing, I guess."

Having a feeling that she was the elephant in the room, Annie began taking her leave. "I'm going to see if the others need help."

Nodding, Hannes watched her leave, shaking his head. "She's not what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Armin wondered, not opening the packet.

"…I'm not sure, honestly." He decided to change the subject as he gave them a grin. "This feels familiar, huh? You two have been running damage control for that little hothead since the good old days if I recall correctly. Doesn't seem very fair, but what do I know? Different time, different place, same problem. Not exactly what I'd call a healthy relationship. Am I wrong?"

Armin chuckled, remembering those days. "The neighborhood bullies weren't quite so tall, but I suppose there are similarities."

"Yeah, that's our Eren. Can't hold his own for shit, but always looking for a fight. Five guys wanna take him on? He wouldn't think twice about jumping into the fray like an idiot. By the time Mikasa gets there, the MPs show up, and he's beaten all to hell." Hannes let out a sigh, looking in the distance. "But you know, I may not have ever had the privilege of seeing Eren win, but I've never seen the little son of a bitch back down either."

Mikasa and Armin's eyes widened. They never thought of it that way.

He turned back to face the others. "Kid's got fire and his persistence scares the piss out of me sometimes. He gets knocked on his ass, and he gets right back up again. It's in his blood! You think he'd let himself be snatched away without fighting tooth and nail? Not a chance. Whatever strength he's got left, he'll use it. What's two guys next to a whole gang? If you can count on anything, Eren will give them hell… at least until you or Mik show up to help."

Mikasa couldn't remember the last time someone called her by that nickname. It felt like something lost and forgotten had been returned to her, even if it was something so small as a name.

"That's how it's always been, right?" Hannes went on. "Yes, sir. Those good old days were something else. Course if you asked Eren, he'd tell you they were an illusion. Just us kidding ourselves, but I, for one, was never happier than when folks thought of me as a freeloading waste of space. There's not much I wouldn't do to get back how things used to be. Call me sentimental… but I'm willing to fight for it." With a clenched fist, he gave them both a determined look. "He needs us. What do you say we stick with what we know? It ain't the good old days unless the three of you are together."

His determination was contagious as the two felt a renewed sense of strength and purpose. Sure, it was a long shot that Eren would still be there, but that wasn't going to stop either of them. One way or another, they were bringing him home. With that in mind, they unwrapped their rations and began wolfing them down quickly. It had been a long time since their last meal.

Just as they were finished eating, there was a rumbling noise that was getting louder by the second. The soldiers followed the sound and, to their surprise, spotted a large cavalry led by Erwin coming right for them. Among their ranks were lifts so they could safely lower their horses to the other side of the Wall. Not to mention that Jean and Sasha had arrived, bringing the cadets back together at last.

"Quicker than I expected," Annie said, pleasantly surprised by the development.

With a weak groan, Moblit managed to get up into a sitting position, getting a good look at the reinforcements. "Commander Erwin, and… wait, those are MPs!"

"Not all MPs are horrible people," she stated, echoing Dillon's statement from a long time ago.

Armin shook his head in astonishment. "Never thought they'd ride on top of the Wall."

"Probably the quickest route here," Historia figured.

"…For the record, I know you won't, but I'd much rather prefer it if you stayed behind," he said.

She gave the answer he expected. "No. Not happening. Nice try, though. As long as Ymir's in danger, nothing will keep me here. Sorry, but that's just how it is."

"Don't throw all your survival instincts out the window when you find her," Annie warned. "Not going to be much of a happy reunion if you're dead."

"Whatever the case may be, we're all in this together," Connie stated, crossing his arms. "Not a chance in hell I'm gonna let those two get away with our friends."

Once Erwin dismounted, Moblit greeted him immediately. "It's good to see you, Commander. I'm glad you're here."

"Is the situation still the same?" he questioned.

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Erwin turned and shouted, "Deploy the lifts!"

Suddenly, a hand fastened around Moblit's leg. He nearly jumped, but became exasperated when he saw who it was. "Hanji!"

"Don't just stand there," she said weakly. "Get me a map."

Quickly, the Scouts set up the lifts and began lowering the horses down into Wall Maria territory. The nearby Titans were taken care of courtesy of the pair of senior officers and Mike, so there was no need to be too concerned. The rest of the regiment gathered around Hanji as she looked over the map, figuring out where the Shifters could have run off to. Essentially, Annie would either confirm or correct her suspicions.

"It's a gamble, but the trees in this forest are massive," Hanji explained, pointing to it. "I say we ride straight for it. See, even if they had a way to cover up the Armored Titan's footprints, this is almost definitely where would find them."

"If I was in their position and I couldn't get away fast enough, I would do the same thing," Annie stated, putting in her much-needed input. "The branches would easily be out of the Titans' reach. Perfect for recuperating and keeping Eren in check."

"How much time do you predict we'll have before they attempt to reach Wall Maria?" Erwin questioned, all eyes on the Shifter.

"At least until sundown," she answered. "It all depends on when Reiner decides to move. He won't risk giving Eren or the others a chance to strike back."

"Then that is the plan." Erwin stood up, facing his soldiers. "There is only one purpose to this mission: retrieve Eren Yeager and the others at all costs and make it back to Wall Rose! If we perish along the way, so be it, but nothing could be more important than the people the Shifters have taken! Is that understood!?"

"YES, SIR!"

"Then mount up and be ready to ride out!" He stared directly at Annie. "Choose wisely when to assume Titan form. You are the key to this."

"I will, Commander!" Annie assured. _Dillon, if you can hear me, I'm coming for you._

* * *

(Forest of Giant Trees)

As unconsciousness began to ebb away, Eren weakly opened his eyes. His body felt beaten and numb, but at least he was alive. The marks on his face were far more severe than they usually were. Given that he was forcibly removed from the Titan, that was to be expected. As he sat up, he noticed he was sitting on a thick branch high above the ground, revealing that he was in a Forest with Giant Trees.

"You're awake," the last person he ever wanted to hear spoke. "Welcome back."

Slowly, he faced the traitorous Shifters, both were wearing ODM gear. Bertholdt took it from the soldier he killed and Reiner took Eren's gear. They were staring down at him as if waiting for him to attempt an escape, something that he was considering. Near Bertholdt was a human-sized figure wrapped up in a Scout cloak, but he couldn't figure out who it was.

Suddenly, Eren began feeling something very wrong with his hands. He couldn't move his fingers. Frantically, he unwrapped his arms from what was left of his cloak and once they were free, he was met with the sight of stumps as steam billowed out from them.

"What the hell!?" he exclaimed, horrified. "My arms!"

"Eren," a familiar voice said. "I'm not in any better shape here."

To his right was Ymir, looking more disgruntled than anything. The wounds in her abdomen were healed, but her leg and arm wasn't.

"We're all having a shit day," she muttered.

"Ymir… what did they… what did they do to me?"

"Sorry, that was… that was my fault," Reiner admitted, almost sheepishly. "You can pin your injuries on me. Guess I was in kind of a hurry back there. Bit your nape without thinking about your arms."

"…That right?" Eren asked in a low tone. "So… we lost."

"I know what you're thinking, and unless you want his blood on your hands, I wouldn't try anything," Reiner warned.

"Whose blood?" he questioned.

"Show him, Bertholdt."

Nodding, the tall boy unwrapped the Scout cloak from the unknown person, revealing that it was a knocked-out Dillon. His arms and legs were bound by cables, giving him no opportunities for him to escape.

Eren's eyes widened. "Why the hell did you bring him!?"

"To keep you in check, for one thing," Reiner answered. "For another, we have some questions that need answering."

"That's not the only thing these bastards have over our heads right now," Ymir pointed out once she got closer to Eren. "There are some hungry-looking Titans below us, so even if you throw Dillon's life away in a piss-poor attempt of escaping, you'll get us both killed, too."

"She's right," Reiner confirmed. "Not to mention your body is too concerned with healing itself, so you won't be able to transform. You don't have any options, Eren."

Eren glared at him, imagining all the ways he could rip those two apart, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He was reckless and hot-headed, but he wasn't about to risk Dillon getting killed, especially since Annie would make him regret it if that happened.

Seeing that he wasn't going to do something stupid, Ymir said, "Hey, Reiner, you said you'd start talking once Eren was up. Don't you think it's about time somebody explains what you plan on doing with us?"

Bertholdt gave a pointed look to Eren. "Why don't you start talking, Eren? I'm sure you've been… informed, as of late." There was an edge to his voice now.

"...I know about Marley," he stated. "I know that humanity isn't going extinct. I know that the Marleyans want us Eldians dead because of what happened nearly a century ago and they use Titan Shifters to do their dirty work. In relevance to what Ymir was asking, you're planning on bringing us to Marley whether to be executed or experimented on. I could keep going, but I think you get the picture."

"Damn. Seems like Annie's been quite the talkative girl," Ymir commented. "That must really cut you two, doesn't it?"

Reiner glared at her. "Trust me. We'll deal with her when the time comes. Since you're so well-informed, Eren, you can answer any questions Ymir has. We have a bastard to deal with."

Timed perfectly, there was a soft groan that came from Dillon.

Bertholdt clenched his fist as his eyes narrowed. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"Keep him alive," Reiner instructed, grappling up to the same branch. "Try not to break his jaw."

"What are they interrogating him for?" Eren asked, confused and, admittingly, a little worried.

"Considering that Dillon's the main reason they got screwed over, they have a few grievances they want to vent out," Ymir replied. "I don't envy him at the moment."

Once Dillon was fully awake, he looked up at the glaring Shifters in front of him. "What's up?"

"You know exactly 'what's up', Amsdale." Reiner growled, crossing his arms

The Psion looked up, wincing a bit from the burns. "Trees, the sun, the sky… lots of things are up."

The result of his sarcasm was a roundhouse to the gut, courtesy of an angry Bertholdt.

Coughing, Dillon wheezed out, "Overdramatic much?"

"Shut the hell up!" Bertholdt snapped before Reiner pulled him back.

"Answer our questions and I'll try to hold him back," he stated. "If you don't..."

Dillon rolled his eyes. "Oh, this should be fun. Ask away."

"What have you done with Annie?!" Bertholdt shouted suddenly.

"…You're gonna have to be a little specific," he replied.

Of course, Reiner delivered a harsh punch to his face for his cheekiness. "Stop being a smartass and start talking!"

"Hey, Dillon, word of advice!" Ymir called out to him. "Get some damn survival instincts!"

As a bruise started to form on his face, Dillon slowly turned his head back to them, his expression shifting into a glare. He had his fun, but the time for levity was gone. "I did something you two assholes didn't: care about her."

Enraged, Bertholdt wrapped his hand around his throat, choking him. "You son of a bitch!"

"Bertholdt, knock it off!" Reiner demanded, pulling him away once more. "We need him alive, coherent, and awake."

Spitting out blood, Dillon rested his head against the tree, his steely gaze never leaving them. "You're just going to kill me anyway, so what's with the constant subterfuge? Why not let Bertholdt have his way with me? I know he's been dying to do this since the moment Annie and I became a couple. After all, he tried to kill me in Trost." _"Annie, can you hear me?"_

"I was trying to keep her away from your poisonous influence," Bertholdt snarled, making an effort to restrain himself. "And you took her away from me."

He let out a snort. '"Poisonous influence?' As in 'being the only one who tried to stop her from doing horrible things like say… attempted genocide?"' _"Annie?"_

"We're soldiers," Reiner stated coldly. "We have a mission to complete. End of story."

 _"Dillon, thank God you're awake!"_ a relieved Annie responded. _"Where are you?"_

'"Soldiers,"' Dillon repeated with a chuckle. "That's a good one." _"Edge of the Forest of Giant Trees."_

"Something funny?" he growled, kneeling to his level.

"You're smart, Reiner. Just use your brain."

Naturally, the proper response was a punch to the gut as Reiner's glare intensified. "I don't have time for your games, Amsdale!"

"Then don't waste my time asking idiotic questions," he shot back. "You should be focusing more on preparing your surrender speeches."

Reiner slammed him against the trunk of a tree, grabbing hold of his collar. "If you think Annie's going to rescue you, you're wrong. The only reason you're still alive is because you are going to keep her at bay. Cooperate, and you might just return home. If not, you'll be fed to the Titans."

 _"We're on our way,"_ Annie assured. _"Let us know when you see the flares or hear us, but Dillon… please don't do anything stupid."_

"You kill me, and nothing will stop Annie from ripping you two to shreds," Dillon threatened. "I've seen her angry up close and personal. When she's like that, she's a force to be reckoned with, and now, you've decided to take me prisoner. You want to survive? Let us go and live to fight another day."

With a derisive snort, he released him before standing back up. "By the time she gets here, we'll be long gone."

"Keep telling yourself that." _Huh. Seems like these two don't know what I'm capable of. Otherwise, they either would have killed me or knocked me out. Time to take advantage of this._ Dillon doubled over as Bertholdt gave him one, final kick to the stomach. "Ow…"

"You deserve more than that, you Eldian prick," Bertholdt snarled.

He coughed out blood. "Funny… the same could be said for you two."

Having enough, the Shifters moved away from him so they could continue regaining their strength.

Dillon's eyes flashed, establishing a mental link with Ymir. _"Eren, Ymir, can you hear me?"_

Ymir flinched at hearing his voice in her head, but fortunately, no one took notice of it. _"Dillon!?"_

 _"The one and only,"_ he answered.

 _"…How is this possible!?"_

 _"You'll get the whole story another time, but right now, we have to focus on escaping."_

 _"Seems to me like you were focusing on riling them up,"_ Eren said.

 _"Well, they are at the top of my hate list,"_ Dillon reasoned. _"In any case, the mental link will help us work together and formulate a plan to get us out of this mess."_

 _"Well, you could always try seducing Reiner,"_ Ymir suggested jokingly. _"He's into guys, and you are incredibly handsome."_

 _"…Ignoring how vomit-inducing the mere thought of me flirting with that bastard is, I think I'll stick with waiting until I get enough of my strength back. Once I get enough, I'll knock these two off the branch and let them fall into the loving arms of the Titans below."_

 _"…Damn, Dillon. I didn't think you had it in you,"_ she said, surprised.

 _"They had their chance to surrender,"_ Eren growled. _"This time, they won't get away with this."_

 _"Eren, whatever happens, you have to remain calm,"_ Dillon stated. _"I know you have more reasons than we do to want Reiner and Bertholdt to die horrible and painful deaths, but acting on your instincts will only make things worse. They_ will _die… but not yet."_

 _"…Fine,"_ he conceded. _"The sooner we deal with these bastards, the better."_

 _"Well, as long as I don't get to be the one to tell Annie her boyfriend died like an idiot, I don't care what happens,"_ Ymir said.

Dillon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _"You have the heart of an angel, Ymir."_

Wiping the sweat off her forehead due to the constant steam from her wounds, she asked, "Hey, Reiner, got any water? Help a girl out. I'm dying over here."

"Sorry, there's not a hell of a lot I can do," he responded. "Even if it is a matter of life and death."

Ymir sighed. "That's comforting. Well, at least now we know where we stand… sort of."

"Speaking of which," Reiner went on, "we've been working our asses off. No food, no sleep, no nothing. Ever since those Titans showed… that was yesterday, right? Man, we're lucky the Wall hasn't been destroyed. Still, that means you'd think they'd give us a break. And don't even get me started on promotion."

He had everyone's attention now. Dillon and Ymir looked completely confused by those statements, Bertholdt gave his friend a look of horror, and Eren was starting to get angry.

"What the hell…?" Bertholdt asked quietly.

Hearing him, Reiner glanced over to him in annoyance. "What? Come on! I don't think that's too much to ask, do you? God knows we've done our fair share of heavy lifting, all things considered. I mean, I get it. We're soldiers. Duty first. It's just nice to be acknowledged."

"…You bang your head or something?" Ymir wondered, speaking for everyone. "What are you even talking about? Seriously?"

"Oh, don't give me that. Look, I'm not saying we storm in and demand the rank of captain or anything."

"No, that's not what I mean," she shot back, sounding more than a little concerned.

"Oh, yeah, where did you find that cannon, by the way?" Reiner asked without missing a beat. "I owe you one for saving my bacon."

 _"Who even says that anymore?"_ Dillon questioned, bewildered.

 _"Really? That's your biggest question?"_ Ymir replied in a deadpan tone.

"Really nice of Krista to patch me up afterwards," he went on. "I'm starting to think me and her might become a thing." His gaze met Dillon. "Hey, Dillon, you and Annie became a thing. Think you can give a buddy some advice?"

 _"He's being serious about all of this. I think he's snapped."_ Dillon allowed a smile to cross his features, even though his face showed he was very uncomfortable. It was a long shot, but it wouldn't hurt too much to try. "Sure, Reiner. I mean, we've gotta get back to the Scouts first. We don't want them to worry about-."

Bertholdt silenced him with another punch to the gut, covering his mouth. "Not. Another. Word."

"Bertholdt, what are you doing?" Reiner questioned, confused.

"Hey!" Eren exclaimed angrily. "Are you being serious right now!?"

Now the blonde was completely flabbergasted at the situation and he couldn't understand why. "Eren, what's wrong with you!? Was it something I said?"

The Shifter had enough, standing up. "IF YOU WANT TO DIE, THEN JUST KEEP TALKING!"

"Hold up, Eren," Ymir interjected, smirking. "It looks like somebody's gone off the deep end. Is that what this is, Bertholdt? If you know something we don't, now would be a good time to put it on the table."

Bertholdt sighed, releasing Dillon. "Reiner… snap out of it. You're not a soldier, okay? You and I… we're warriors."

Reiner's eyes widened as those words hit him. For a moment, he wasn't in the forest anymore. He was in Trost, restraining Marco and keeping him from escaping. No matter how much he begged, he refused to let him get away. He watched as the Titan devoured him as the three Shifters watched. All he could say was, _"Why is… Marco being devoured?"_

He came back to reality, staring at the ground. "Right. I see. That's how things are." He sunk to his knees, holding his head in pain as he tried to shake it off. He was visibly shaking as he tried to regain some semblance of himself.

"It's a split personality problem, isn't it?" Dillon realized. "Mom had a couple of cases where people claimed to have it, but this is the first time I've seen it in person."

"Makes sense," Ymir agreed. "After all, why would the man who broke the Wall risk his neck to save Connie? It's like the poor bastard's personality is… compartmentalized. Everything he does is a contradiction in terms. He can't help it. On one hand, he's a warrior bent on pushing mankind towards the brink. On the other, he's pretending to be a soldier."

"He's become the mask," Dillon added. "And this is how he copes with it all. I almost feel bad for him."

Once again, she found herself smirking. "He's gone insane. His heart and mind are at war with each other. Judging by Bertholdt's expression, this isn't the first stalemate. Blows me away. Someone as brutally honest as you losing their grip-!"

"Shut up!" Reiner shouted, glaring at her. "Not another word!"

She let out a chuckle. "I'm sorry. I really must have hit a nerve."

"…Is this some kind of joke?" Eren asked quietly, his voice slowly rising in volume. "Where do you get off pretending to be the victim? Are you wallowing in self-pity? How dare you? What was going through your head, huh? Remember that, Bertholdt!? I'm talking to you, lackey! I told you everything. You sat there and looked me straight in the eye, watched me relive seeing my mother get eaten alive! Don't you remember? Well, it just so happens that the chunk of Wall you took off landed on our house. It's what kept her from being able to run away. Ring any bells? Let me ask you again: what was going through your head when I told you that story?"

Bertholdt looked away, the guilt so evident. "Want me to be honest? In the moment, I felt… sorry for you."

There was a pause as Eren continued to stare at them. '"Sorry for me?' So then… you're not… you're not warriors or soldiers. You're _murderers._ Psychotic mass murderers who snuffed out the lives of innocent people who never did anything wrong to you!"

"Don't you think I'm aware of that fact!?" Reiner demanded. "I don't need you shoving it down my throat!"

"Then stop acting like you have any right to feel sorry for yourself!" Eren yelled. "We're living in a hell _you two_ created! Are you proud of yourselves!? You're not one of us! You've never been! You're not even human anymore!"

"You want an apology!? Is that why you're calling us murderers!? Want us to feel bad!? Want us to take the blame!? Who are you talking to!? The people you thought you knew don't exist! They're _dead!_ But, hey, if screaming does it for you, go ahead and scream your fucking head off!"

There was a moment of silence between them as Reiner panted heavily.

Dillon let out a snort. "Don't bother reasoning with them, Eren. They're tools of the Marleyans. They can't think for themselves. Maybe they think they have a good reason for doing all this, or maybe they don't. It doesn't matter. If they won't listen to reason, then there's only one way this is gonna end."

"You're right." A creepy grin appeared on Eren's face. "I don't care how long it takes. I'm going to make you pay for what you've done… and it's gonna hurt."

"Eren… stop acting so childish," Ymir said sternly, catching him off-guard. "If you keep acting like that, I can't depend on you. Same with you, Dillon. I'm not going to trust someone acting like he has a death wish."

The Psion let out a sigh. "Right. Sorry."

"Ymir," Reiner interrupted. "There's no future for this world and you know it. You have a solid grasp of things. What do you think comes next? Joining our side wouldn't be out of the question if you were so inclined."

Dillon gave him a deadly glare.

"And put my faith in you guys?" she questioned. "That's rich. Neither of you trust me as far as you can throw me."

"Come on. That isn't true," he protested. "We know what you really want. All you care about is protecting Krista."

Ymir was taken aback by that statement.

"If we can all agree on that, I don't see the conflict. I'm being absolutely serious. Is it so hard to believe we want what's best for her, too? Hate to break it to you, but you're not the only one. Then again, you can always put your trust in Eren and Dillon. See where that leads you."

"What?" Eren looked down at Ymir, wondering what she was planning.

"You're probably leaning towards escape," Reiner continued. "Better to take a chance with him than throw in with us, right? Because if we end up taking you, there's not much hope to being rescued. I'll be straight with you: that much is true. Even if you came willingly, we're not in a position to guarantee your safety… but if it's Krista we're talking about… we might be able to do something."

She let out a gasp, shocked that he was willing to do that for her. However, her eyes narrowed, thinking that he was just playing her.

"It's your call. What's it gonna be? Is it Krista's future… or your own petty existence?"

" _Don't even consider it, Ymir,"_ Dillon warned.

"… _You trust me that little? I'm hurt, Dillon. Just keep your head down and don't do anything stupid."_

There was something off that he could detect in her tone, but there was nothing he could about it. If she was telling the truth, then this would be over soon. If not, then things were going to get complicated very fast. _Am I going to have to kill you, too, Ymir?_

* * *

 **AN: To be continued…**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: Now, I've made the proper edits to Chapters 32 and 33. Also, just to let you know, I'm redoing Chapter 1 to fit with the rest of the story a bit more. I don't know when, but I'm gonna go on a massive editing spree one day and start fixing things.**

 **Also, props to schleeshins once more for the character page of Dillon Amsdale. You'll find that along with another scene from my story beautifully illustrated. Please visit Deviantart and show her support for her hard work.**

* * *

Chapter 35: Full Pursuit

Never in his life had Jean been so determined to complete an objective. Usually, he was just acting out of desperation or fear to get the job done like the time he was a temporary leader in Trost. Now, he was more than ready to dive straight into Hell for the sake of his friends. He was going to make Reiner and Bertholdt pay for the humiliation that was brought upon them, and he was going to bring his real friends home.

He glanced over at Annie, who was riding next to him, and questioned, "Got any tips on dealing with these guys?"

"Nothing that hasn't already been said," she responded, her voice rising over the sound of the galloping horses. "Reiner's armor is strong, but I should be able to break through it. Just concentrate on Bertholdt and leave him to me."

"Right." He set his eyes on the Forest of Giant Trees. "They won't get away this time."

"…Jean, I need you to do me a favor," Annie requested. "Once I get Dillon, I need you to get him out of here and back inside Wall Rose."

He gave her a dumbfounded expression. "Are you kidding me, Annie? With his abilities and your Female Titan, we can take these guys down!"

She glared at him. "Do I need to remind you of everything he's gone through in the last 24 hours? He's going to be more of a hindrance than an asset by this point. I can't focus on keeping him alive and keeping the other Shifters at bay."

"Why pick me?" Jean asked.

"…Because I know you'll get him home whatever it takes. You may be a prick, but I trust you with Dillon's life more than anyone else."

Jean was in disbelief, but he quickly swallowed it, steeling himself. "I won't let either of you down."

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Knock him out if you have to. Knowing him, Dillon's not going to want to leave me behind."

"Just make sure you do get back to him, okay?" Jean replied. "He needs a break from suffering for a while."

"I couldn't agree more."

On the right wing, red flares were shot into the sky as a couple of Titans began charging towards them. Erwin, however, commanded them to stay the course and merge with the center wing. If anyone got picked off, there would be nothing they could for them. The only thing that mattered was getting Eren, Ymir, and Dillon out of there.

"Mikasa!" Hannes yelled as said Ackerman was riding faster than her group. "Hey, Mikasa! Hello!?"

She snapped out of her hyper-focused state and looked back, slowing down a little.

"Stop pushing so hard," he rebuked. "You're drifting up into the vanguard. You wanna break the whole formation? Look, I know how you feel, but what did I tell you? Eren's not gonna let those assholes get the best of him without a fight. Agreed?"

Mikasa pursed her lips and gave a single nod.

"Kid just doesn't have it in him to give up," Hannes added. "All we gotta do is have a little faith he'll hold his own until the rest of us get there. Always has, always will."

Close to the vanguard, Erwin with two Scouts flanking him watched as several red flares pierced the skies to the right, signaling that the Titans were beginning to converge onto the Scout Regiment. Still, the plan was to keep moving forward and that's what they were going to do. He fired off a green flare to signal a directional change. Unfortunately, he was taken aback when he saw four red flares directly in front of him.

"The hell…?" Erwin asked.

"Commander Erwin, we're surrounded!" the Scout on his right exclaimed.

"There is a way around," the Scout on his left point out. "Should we head towards it?"

Eyes forward, the commander made another hard choice. "No, there's no time for a detour. We'll forge ahead. Soldiers, prepare to fight!"

* * *

"You're kidding me," Reiner growled as he watched the green and red flares soar into the sky.

"The Scouts are here?" Bertholdt asked. "Already?"

"Son of a bitch," he swore, turning to the others as he began formulating a quick escape plan.

Bertholdt grabbed him by the shoulders. "Talk to me, Reiner. What are you right now?"

"A warrior," he assured. "Calm down."

"Do you really think it's wise to trust Ymir even though she's the one that devoured Marcel?" He threw her a glare for good measure.

"Sure, don't you see?" Reiner asked. "We have a handle on her motives. When she turned human again, odds are she just wandered around aimlessly only giving a damn about herself."

 _"Such flatterers,"_ Ymir commented, keeping her expression blank. _"They think they've won me over. How cute."_

Whatever doubts Dillon had about her vanished. _"Good to know you're still on our side."_

 _"And risk getting an earful from you about it? I don't want to give you the satisfaction."_

Dillon rolled his eyes as he tuned out the Shifters. _"The Scouts are getting close, so we'll need to act soon. Get ready."_

 _"I still think this is insane,"_ she pointed out.

 _"To his credit, he knows what he's doing,"_ Eren cut in.

 _"Eren, did you just give me a complement?"_ he asked, sounding bewildered.

 _"Don't push it,"_ he growled.

 _"Just wanted to savor this miraculous occasion."_

 _"Boys, knock it off,"_ Ymir interjected. _"You're giving me a migraine. Dillon, what exactly is the plan?"_

 _"Two things will happen, and I'm hoping for the second one: they'll either transform and take us all, or they'll carry us via ODM gear."_ He noticed Reiner zoom over to the tree Ymir and Eren was on. _"Okay, second thing is happening right now."_

"What are you two doing now?" Eren demanded, acting ignorant. "I thought we were waiting until dark."

"There's been a slight change in plans," Reiner explained, preparing his sword to knock him out. "I'm gonna nicely for you to not put up a fight."

 _"Eren, keep him distracted. I'll be right there."_ Dillon looked at Bertholdt as he approached him. "So, how's that surrender speech coming along?"

"Keep talking, and I'll break your jaw," Bertholdt warned darkly. "If I had my way, you'd be dying a slow and painful death right now."

 _You just love to whine about your miserable life, don't you?_ Dillon thought with a snort.

Eren let out a nervous chuckle from below. "Easy. There's no need for us to get all violent. It's not like I can resist like this. I mean, take a look at me." He held up his stumps for good measure. "Just calm down, okay?"

Reiner stared at him and it seemed like he was relenting a little.

Eren took this moment to back up slowly before running straight at him, punching Reiner hard enough to knock him down.

Grinning, Dillon's eyes flashed as he busted out of his bonds. Catching Bertholdt off guard, he kicked him back a few yards before levitating one of the blades out of the gear. He lobbed it at him, but the Shifter knocked the blade aside in the nick of time, making it land near Ymir, who was trying to stay out of this.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!" Eren screamed as he slammed his elbow repeatedly into Reiner's face. "You evil-!"

Bringing his foot up, Reiner kicked Eren hard enough for him to crash against the tree.

Seeing Eren was in trouble, Dillon blasted Bertholdt off the branch as he jumped over to the branch they were on, using his powers to get there and slow his descent. He landed a haymaker on Reiner before delivering a swift kick to the gut powered by Psion energy, making him sink to his knees. These actions took a lot out of him, and he knew he wouldn't last forever especially because of the injuries he received, but the hard part was over.

"It's over!" Dillon stated as he prepared to finish him.

Suddenly, he felt a blade slice open the back of his knee, eliciting a scream of pain as he fell to one knee. He turned to his attacker, taken aback. "Ymir?"

Distracted, Reiner slammed an elbow directly on his head, dazing him good before he went after Eren. The handless Shifter tried desperately to fight, but Reiner's arm wrapped around his neck as he started choking him into submission.

"You bastards!" Eren shouted. "I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"

"Sorry, Dillon," the traitorous Ymir said as she tossed the blade aside. "You picked a fight you can't win."

"Damn you," Dillon growled, trying to get up.

Bertholdt, having managed to escape the Titans below, made it to the tree branch, murder in his eyes. "What the hell are you!?"

"Some sort of psychic freak," Ymir answered, kicking Dillon onto his back, making sure to aim for his head. "He's been communicating with the Scouts this whole time. Probably sending a distress call to Annie right now."

Dillon was trying to, but his exhaustion, and his internal and external injuries were making it difficult. Of course, the only thing he managed to get out was Annie's name before getting stomped on the face by Bertholdt, knocking him out cold.

"For her sake, I'll make this quick," he snarled, raising his blade to kill him.

"Wait!" Ymir urged. "You still need a hostage to keep Annie in check. She could be here very soon. He's your guarantee she won't turn us all into her favorite blood splatters."

Bertholdt glanced over at Reiner, who nodded in agreement as he almost finished bringing Eren into unconsciousness. The damn lunatic was biting frantically on his stump, trying to transform, but he was failing miserably. "Fine." He let out a sigh. "Ymir, when you changed back to a human, do you have any memory of the person you ate?"

"…No, not really," she admitted, tearing off a piece of Dillon's cloak to tie up his wound. If he bled out, there would be hell to pay. "We're talking about something that happened five years ago, but the way you're asking, I'm guessing it was someone you knew?"

He didn't answer, but she could see it in his eyes.

She let out a sigh, tightening the knot around his leg. "I see. Then I'm… sorry for not remembering."

"Hey, it's not your fault you don't," he assured. "It was the same for Reiner and I."

That perked her interest. "Yeah?"

"Eren doesn't remember either," Bertholdt informed her as said Shifter was finally neutralized.

"Is that how it works? You hold that against me?"

No way he could give her a straight answer to that. "I don't think so. I mean… I don't know. Suppose I have to believe that you didn't want to eat anybody." Another sigh left him. "So, uh, how long were you wandering outside the Walls?"

"Oh, about sixty years," she answered offhandedly. "Hell on Earth. Every day it was like waking up into a nightmare." She shook her head, trying to ward those painful memories away. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"That's fine." He turned his back to her. "Climb on and hold tight. It's going to be a rough ride."

Rolling her eyes, Ymir clung onto his back, wrapping her arms around him. "You drop me, and I'll tear you a new one."

Quickly, Reiner attached both Eren and Dillon on his back, the latter lying on top of the former. Not quite as heavy as carrying that Titan from last night, but their combined weight was still a bit taxing. Once their passengers were secured, Reiner and Bertholdt began grappling deeper into the forest.

"For now, we find a place without Titans!" Reiner stated as the mindless beasts pursued them. "As far away as possible! I haven't recovered enough to outrun these guys. They surround us, there's jackshit my Titan form can do right now." He glared behind him as he saw the flares getting closer. "Damn it. That formation wouldn't work unless they hoisted a bunch of horses over the Wall. Who gave that order? I honestly thought we had more time than this. It's gotta be Commander Erwin. Hard as nails, that one."

Another green flare was fired, signaling their incoming approach.

Reiner was trying to keep his cool, but it was quite difficult. His explanation turned into rambling. "Damn, they're already that close? It's Eren and Dillon's fault for slowing us down. Bastards don't know when to quit."

Ymir didn't respond to any of that as she began to come to a realization. If the Scout Regiment was here, then that meant the cadets of the 104th would be here as well, including…

"Krista's here," she whispered before shouting at Reiner. "Reiner, we have to go back now! Krista's with them!"

"What?" he questioned, confused.

"This is our best chance."

"You're full of it," Reiner shot back. "No way you can see that far."

"Look, I just know!" Ymir swore. "Think about it, okay? She's a big softie, right? Stupid girl's come to rescue me. She had to."

Reiner couldn't deal with this right now. "Yeah, well, so what? I'm sorry! It'll have to wait!"

"What!?" she yelled, eyes blazing with anger.

"We can't grab her the way things are now! There's no way to bust up that formation! Another time!"

"How long do you want me to wait?" Ymir asked, her voice starting to shake. "Maybe I should just hold off on that until I've been gobbled up by one of your Warrior pals!? Oh, no! I don't think so!"

"Don't be that way," Reiner pleaded, trying to focus. "Nobody's trying to trick you. I swear it."

"Prove it, then!" she demanded. "There's no time like the present, asshole! Damn you! Get down there and bring her with us! I need to see her!" She was becoming desperate, her emotions going out of control. "You don't understand. The way things are going… I never will."

Bertholdt let out a sigh, finally deciding to intervene. "We can't. Let it go, Ymir. Who knows if we'll even manage to survive this? Sorry, but it's just too risky."

Reiner let out a grunt as he continued to adjust to make sure neither of his captives fell off. "Listen to me! You have my word! I want her out of this as much as you do. Bear with me. You have to trust us. This is what's best for Krista. Do you understand?"

Ymir let out a frustrated growl as she bowed her head. "Yes, I understand. Real question is… do you?"

"Of course," he answered.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "All right, then."

"Thank you for that," Bertholdt replied.

 _It's happening again._ She thought. _I've come so far, done so much, and still wound up falling for my own bullshit._ Shaking her head, she came to a decision. "Let's face it, guys. I'm the one best suited for this." Suddenly, she started covering up Bertholdt's face in an effort to blind him.

"What are you doing!?" he cried out, trying to stay afloat and not crash.

"Hey, shut the hell up and use your head for a second," Ymir suggested coldly, turning his head so he could look at her. "In a forest like this, _I'm_ the one who can shine, right?"

Panicking, Bertholdt nearly crashed into a tree and he spiraled in order to avoid it. He barely managed to pull himself up as Ymir managed to get her arms around his neck. "Ymir, knock it off! We'll fall!"

"Do you think that I give a damn?" she asked. "I have the advantage." She glared at Reiner, who looked like he wanted to strangle her. "Any other time, you two would outclass me, but my Titan form's more agile. I could leap through the trees, grab Eren and Dillon, and rendezvous with the Scouts before you knew what hit you. Wouldn't be that hard."

With a grunt, the two Shifters landed on the side of a tree, deciding to hear her demands. Not that they had much choice.

"Either you agree to take Krista with us today right now, or so help me, I will throw your whole plan out of whack!"

"Are you completely insane!?" Reiner yelled, losing his patience. "That doesn't help her! I thought that you genuinely cared!"

"I do," she confirmed. "In my way. If it robs her of a future, then life's a bitch, but by God, I will live to see her again! I've made my piece with what that says about me. You guys have no idea what it's like." Tears began streaming down her face. "She knows what a shitty person I am, but she still smiles at me. I can't."

"Damn it," Reiner growled.

"Don't be pissed. I have a fairly decent plan. Besides, if I stay and fight, it'll be easier for you four to get away. Then again-." Ymir barred her teeth at Bertholdt, freaking him out. "—if you don't like it, we can always tear each other apart like animals!"

Reiner knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place. There were so many ways all of this could go wrong, but even more so if Ymir decided to screw them over. With great reluctance, he conceded. "Fine! Just make it quick!"

A wave of relief passed over her. "I will, and I can also do you another favor!"

"And what's that?"

"…Give Dillon to me."

Reiner stared at her, surprised by that. "What for?"

"Simple: if your word isn't enough for the Marleyans, I'll have my own bargaining chip," Ymir explained. "A human with psychic abilities? He might as well be wearing a sign that says, 'Please, study me!"'

Said Psion let out an unnoticeable groan as he slowly began to regain consciousness. He felt like shit, but what else was new?

"That's the reason you wanted him alive, isn't it?" Bertholdt accused.

"I'll do whatever it takes to survive."

The blonde let out a sigh as he lowered himself to the ground, wanting this to be done with already. "All right. Have it your way, but he's your responsibility. He ends up becoming more trouble than he's worth, I won't hesitate to kill him. Understand?"

Ymir nodded as Bertholdt followed his lead. "Fair enough. I know where to stash him until we're out of the woods… no pun intended."

"You're a real piece of work, Ymir," Dillon growled, getting their attention.

"Damn it, I didn't hit him hard enough," Bertholdt muttered, clearly annoyed. _He's like a constant thorn in our side._

"Nothing personal, Dillon," she said sincerely as she disembarked from her ride. "At least you get to stay alive."

"Until the Marleyans get me, that is," he shot back, trying to tell Annie what was going on, but he was too weak mentally. "All it took was a few choice words, and you turn your back on your friends and sentence them to die along with the rest of the Eldians here."

"…You know what I hate the most about you and Eren?" she asked suddenly, giving him a cold look. "You two live in a fantasy world. A place where you think you have a chance to stand up to an entire country full of people who want everyone on this godforsaken island dead. Get this through your thick skull: you _never_ had a chance. Even with Annie on your side, it won't matter because there's no hope for these people. You only delayed the inevitable, and I'm not about to die on a hopeless cause just because you refuse to face reality!"

Dillon could tell that she wasn't going to be swayed by anything he had to say. Her mind was made up, but that also meant he didn't have to hold back any longer. "Enjoy your possessions while you still can, Ymir… because you're about to lose everything."

With a snarl, Ymir punched him right in the face. "That's enough out of you."

Dillon retaliated by kicking her in face, sending her directly into the ground with a bloody nose.

Before things could get out of hand, Bertholdt yanked Dillon free from Reiner and slammed him face first into the grass, keeping him pinned. "Ymir, hurry up! We've wasted too much time as it is!"

Nodding, she took several steps back as she prepared to transform.

"I saved her life!" Dillon exclaimed, trying to wrestle the Shifter off of him. "Remember that!? I risked my life to save hers!"

"…That's why you get to live." Choosing not to waste any more time, Ymir allowed the blood on her nose to initiate the shift.

* * *

Annie wasn't the type to panic, but her worry was gnawing at her. Abruptly, Dillon ceased contact with her a while ago and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reach them. Given the mental link was still on, that meant he was still alive, so he was definitely knocked out. Something told her that Dillon brought that on himself somehow, but she promised herself not to lecture or scold him. All that mattered was making sure he and the others were all right.

"Oh, great," Jean complained. "We've got company."

Up ahead at the Forest of Giant Trees, a horde of Titans eagerly awaited them. There was no avoiding it now. Combat was inevitable. With a battle cry, the soldiers were ready to fight.

Suddenly, the ground shook as there was an explosion in the distance.

"That light," Mikasa said, eyes wide.

"What are the chance that it's Eren?" Armin asked.

"Slim to none," Annie answered, getting ready to shift.

"We're out of time," Erwin realized. "Soldiers, disperse! The enemy has assumed Titan form! Find Eren, and get him out of there!"

The group split off, heading in two different directions as the Titans charged at them. One fifteen-meter managed to snatch an MP right off his horse. Some of the soldiers watched in horror as he began screaming in fear, frantically trying to escape. It wouldn't do any good as its mouth opened wide.

Miraculously, there was an explosion directly behind the Titan and, within seconds, its nape was torn out by the Female Titan. Quickly, she managed to catch the MP, who was staring at her with wide eyes before lowering him to the ground. A Scout slowed down and hoisted him on top of his steed and took off.

Like dogs in front of a juicy steak, the Titans set their eyes on Annie. She glanced over at Commander Erwin and gave a single nod before running into the forest, leading quite a few Titans away.

"Is she crazy!?" one of the Scouts exclaimed.

"She's making a call," Erwin stated before addressing his troops. "Battle is not our objective! Locate, recover, and retreat!"

"Round up the horses!" Hannes ordered.

"Right away, sir," Phil replied.

Hannes fired his hooks into the trees with the cadets and the other soldiers following suite. "First thing we do is locate the enemy and tell the others! They're fleeing into the woods, so stay sharp!"

 _Eren, where are you?_ Mikasa and Armin asked themselves, trying to find any sign of him.

Suddenly, a loud screech sounded far ahead of them. It definitely wasn't Annie, but there was something familiar about it.

"That's the scream of a Titan," one of the Scouts identified.

"It came from just up ahead," another Scout added.

As the group progressed further, they were caught off-guard by Ymir, in Titan form, hanging off a large branch while seemingly glaring at them.

"I can see you!" the first Scout exclaimed, drawing his swords.

"No, wait a second!" Connie urged as he landed right next to her. "It's actually Ymir! This is her Titan form! She's one of the people they took!" Seeing that they weren't going to attack, he turned to her. "What the hell happened!? Where is everybody else!?"

Ymir didn't respond, looking away as she gazed at the soldiers.

"Is Eren okay?" Connie pressed. "What about Bertholdt and Reiner?"

There was still no answer from her.

"So, this is Ymir," Armin said, taken aback by her Titan form.

Mikasa, however, was running out of patience. "Damn it, Ymir! Where's Eren!?"

"What's the deal!?" Jean demanded. "Which way did they go!?"

"Give us something we can go on!" Sasha pleaded.

"Say something already!" Connie snapped, jumping onto her arm and proceeding to kick her head repeatedly. "Come on, ugly! We're kind of in a rush!"

She turned her head, letting out a growl of warning.

Not wanting to get his head bitten off, Connie stopped immediately.

"Something isn't right," Armin muttered. "Why is she looking at all of us?"

"Ymir!" an excited voice squealed with delight.

Immediately, the Shifter fixed her eyes on Historia, who had a huge grin on her face.

"There you are! Thank goodness you're all right!"

Ymir's response was to immediately lunge at her, jaw opened wide. Historia barely blinked before her jaw slammed shut on her.

The cadets were completely flabbergasted by the turn of events.

"What?" Sasha whispered.

"Did she just…?" Connie raised his voice to Ymir, who was jumping from tree to tree to get away. "Ymir, what are you doing!?"

"Don't just stand there!" Jean exclaimed, pursuing her instantly. "Move your asses!"

Regaining their composure, the cadets followed him in the chase. However, Ymir was too fast as she nearly became unnoticeable in the distance.

"Damn, she's fast," Jean commented to himself. "We're losing her!"

"Why would she do that!?" Mikasa asked.

For the first time in his life, Jean glared at her. "What's wrong with you people!? Am I seriously the only one who saw this coming!?"

"Well, it's clear where her loyalties are now!" Armin stated grimly. "She's on their side! We were lured into a trap!"

Letting out a growl, Jean knew they needed backup. _"Annie, we've got a problem!"_

* * *

With a roar, Annie decapitated another Titan with a roundhouse kick. It was precise enough to cut at the nape, so it was dead as a result. She tossed the headless corpse into one of the pursuing Titans before making a mad dash away from them. _**"Talk to me, Jean! What happened!?"**_

 _"Ymir betrayed us,"_ he stated. _"She captured Krista and she's making a run for it."_

A growl emitted from her throat as she moved faster. _**"I know what she's doing. She's trying to save herself and Krista from the Marleyans. Have you seen Eren or Dillon?"**_

 _"Not yet, but-."_

He was interrupted when there was another explosion that rumbled the forest.

 _"Damn it! Armored Titan's making a break into open plains! Bertholdt's got Eren, and he and Ymir are riding on Reiner's back! At this rate, we'll lose them!"_

 _ **"I'm coming!"**_ Annie stated. _**"But where's Dillon!? Is he there, too!?"**_

 _"I don't see him,"_ Jean responded. _"Maybe they left him in the middle of the forest!"_

She shook her head. _**"No way in hell we'd ever be that lucky. Go after them! I'll try to contact Dillon again!"**_ Once again, Annie tried to get her boyfriend's attention. _**"Come on, you reckless idiot! You have to wake up!"**_

At first, there was nothing, but then, there was a very weak response. _"…Annie…?"_

The Female Titan felt relief course through her body. _**"Dillon, thank God you're alive! Where are you!?"**_

 _"…Help… me…"_

Her speed increased. _**"I will! Just tell me where you are!"**_

With all of his strength, Dillon managed to tell her, and Annie saw red.

* * *

Since there was nowhere to grapple on to for the moment, the cadets, now joined by Hannes and some more soldiers, rode on horseback in full pursuit of the Shifters. To their astonishment, the horses managed to catch up to Reiner rather quickly. Seemed like the armor, while necessary, was impeding his speed.

"Reiner's too slow!" Jean stated. "We've got him!"

"I won't hesitate," Mikasa swore. "I'll kill them without a thought. If Ymir feels like getting in the way, so much the worst for her. This ends here and now. I swear it."

Armin let out a sigh, hoping that she wouldn't let her emotions get herself killed.

Up ahead, Ymir opened her mouth and pulled Historia out, who was now drenched saliva. She let out a harsh cough, expelling some of it out of her body.

"Krista!" Bertholdt exclaimed, worried about her.

Her coughing fit came to an end as she stared at the woman responsible. "Ymir…"

Steam emitted from Ymir's nape as she partially emerged from her Titan form, the red strands still attached to her body. She, too, succumbed to violent coughing and managed to wheeze out, "Krista." Once she got it out of her system, she corrected herself. "No… Historia. I'm sorry… about eating you. You're, uh… probably pissed."

"What is this?" Historia asked, trying not to panic. "What's going on? Talk to me! We came to rescue you, Eren, and-!"

"Shut up!" Ymir yelled, stunning her into silence. "I don't need rescuing! Things have changed! I'm with Reiner and Bertholdt now! Like it or not, you're coming with us! There's no future inside the Walls!"

Historia couldn't believe this was happening. After everything, Ymir was now siding with the enemy, and for what?

"Hear me out for a second, okay?" she requested. "Life outside isn't as bad as you think. Believe me. For starters, there's no one saying the world would've been a better place if you've never been born."

Historia stiffened, an old wound flaring up inside of her. "Yeah, I don't think Titans would say much either way. They'd be too busy trying to devour me!"

"We've all got flaws!" Ymir snapped. "They're not so bad if you give them a break! It's complicated, all right!? Get off your high horse!"

"Ymir, I don't know what's going on in your mind, but you're not making any sense!" Historia responded, begging for answers. "Come on! What did Reiner and Bertholdt say? You're doing this against your will! They threatened you!"

There was no response she could give that would satisfy her, so Ymir stayed silent.

"It's the opposite, actually," Bertholdt said quietly.

Either Historia didn't hear him, or she just ignored him. "I'm right, aren't I!? Let me go! Whatever they've got on you, I don't care! We can fight them! Put the past behind you! What matters is right now!" Tears sprang to her eyes, threatening to fall. "I'm here! I will always be your ally!"

Those words impacted her far more than she could ever imagine. For a moment, she wanted to give the girl what she wanted. She was too innocent and didn't deserve this.

"Ymir," Bertholdt interjected. "Look, in case you haven't noticed, the Scouts are closing in. If we left earlier, there might have been a decent chance at outrunning them. Going back for Krista was _your_ idea. You forced us. Remember that. We waited, and for what?" He stared directly at her. "Damn it, Ymir! What did we do this for!? You can't have a change of heart! You want her to rot inside the Walls? Does that seem acceptable to you now!? Don't be a fool! Think!"

Historia was having none of it as she tried to reach her. "Let go! Don't listen to him!"

"I CAN'T!"

Silence passed between them, the sound of Reiner's footsteps being the only thing that broke it.

At long last, Ymir allowed herself to break, to be vulnerable as her head sank. "I wish I could. I'm sorry, sweetie. I know you think I did this for you, but at the end of the day, I did it for me." Seeing that she wasn't going to interrupt, she went on. "A long time ago, I stole the power of the Titans from one of their comrades. Not much I can do against them. Sooner or later, I'm screwed. But, they said that if I cooperate, hand you over, maybe I've got a shot at leniency. Maybe my crime gets overlooked. You're crucial to the church! You know the truth about the Walls!"

Historia gasped, remembering asking Ymir if everything she did for her was because of her namesake.

"When this world started going to Hell, I thought to myself, 'Couldn't hurt to have a bargaining chip in my back pocket.' The castle's closest to death I ever want to get. The whole experience traumatized me. Gave me perspective. If I have to play dirty to stay alive, then I have to play dirty!" She let out a mirthless chuckle. "Pathetic, yeah. Doesn't make me the ideal friend. Like I said, though: I didn't do this for you. You deserve better, but there it is. I need you." Ymir turned to her, openly sobbing. "Please save me, Historia!"

She didn't speak for a long time, her hair covering up her face. When she finally faced her, she caught Ymir off guard with a tearful smile. "Well, it's like _I_ said: I'm here, and I will always be your ally!"

Now, it was Ymir's turn to stare in disbelief. Even after that, Historia wanted to remain by her side. Unable to take it anymore, she sank back down into her Titan, controlling it once more.

Finally, the Scouts managed to catch up, Hannes launching the first attack on Reiner's leg. It went about as well as one would expect. His blades shattered and he crashed to the ground. However, they noticed that Eren was finally awake, though he didn't have the strength to struggle against Bertholdt. Managing to sink his hook into one his exposed spots, a Scout zoomed up to save Eren, but Ymir quickly yanked it out, dropping him. He landed on his head, his skull cracking and dying instantly. Mikasa didn't take kindly to that as she slashed out one of her eyes. She divebombed towards Bertholdt only for the Shifter to jump up to the base of Reiner's neck.

"Reiner, protect us!" he yelled as Mikasa was about to reach them.

Quickly, the Armored Titan covered up his neck, preventing her from getting to them. She gave a deadly glare that freaked the hell out of him, but at least he was safe. Enraged, Ymir tried swiping Mikasa off, but fortunately, she jumped out of the way.

 _Looks like Ymir goes first!_ She thought as she prepared to cut her apart with an angry yell sounding from her.

"Mikasa, no!" Historia shouted, getting in her way.

Taken aback, Mikasa was forced to fall back, landing on the back of Reiner's head.

"You're not going to kill Ymir!" she stated.

"That all depends on her," she shot back angrily. "What'll it be? She can step aside, or she can die! It's her choice!"

"It's not fair!" Historia protested. "She'll die if she doesn't go with what Reiner and Bertholdt tell her to do! She's screwed either way!"

Mikasa finally reached her end point, her tone dropping into a lower register. "Listen, there's only so many lives I can give a damn about. Cruel, but that's the world our enemies gave us six years ago. Sorry. I don't have any heartstrings left for you to tug on." The more she talked, the more disgusted she was at this situation. "You want compassion? Move on. You want fair? Tough shit. Time's wasting. Pick your side, Krista. Eren… or the bitch I'm gonna kill!"

Ymir raised her clawed hand, preparing to do battle with Ackerman.

Suddenly, the air was pierced by an ear-shattering shriek. It sounded like a banshee was emerging from the fires of Hell, ready to consume every soul around.

Looking back, the soldiers' eyes widened in horror as the saw the Female Titan making a beeline for the Shifters, dust kicking up from behind her as she gained on them fast. They couldn't see her eyes from that distance, but they knew she was far past anger. They could feel rage radiating off her in a way that gave Eren a run for his money.

 _Oh, no._ Bertholdt thought, realizing they were screwed. All he could do was keep his head down, and wait for an opening.

"About time," Jean said before addressing the others. "Clear a path! She's not gonna stop for anything or anyone!"

"Get back on the horses and keep your distance!" Hannes added, not wanting to be caught in the middle of this.

Quickly, the soldiers did as ordered save for Historia, who tried to plea for Ymir's life. "Annie, stay back! You can't do this!"

Annie ignored her, making no efforts to slow down as she was nearly upon them.

"Get her out of there!" Hannes yelled.

Frustrated, Jean grappled up and grabbed her, taking her away despite her struggling.

"No, let me go! Don't!"

Once she got close enough, Annie hardened her leg and kicked Reiner's leg so hard, the armor shattered and his leg broke. With a pained roar, the Armored Titan fell, taking Bertholdt, Eren, and Ymir with him as he plummeted to the ground with a resounding thud. Even Annie toppled over due to how fast she was going, but she was far from done. She made her way over to Ymir and pinned her down, panting with rage. Without a second thought, she gave her a hard punch to the face, cracking her skull.

"Stop it!" Historia screamed, trying to get out of Jean's grip. "Leave her alone!"

Roaring at the top of her lungs, Annie plunged her hand into Ymir's stomach and pulled it out, taking a huge chunk of her abdomen, blood, and stomach fluids in the process. Ymir was sufficiently downed as Annie pulled something out of the gore into her other hand, causing several gasps from the soldiers as she tossed the disgusting remains aside.

From all that mess, they could see the motionless body of Dillon Amsdale.

* * *

 **AN: I apologize for cutting out Ymir's backstory and Bertholdt's breakdown. The former will be revealed in the same way the manga revealed it, and the latter… not exactly sure how I can pull that off given the events that have occurred.**

 **Next time: Annie vs. Reiner! :)**


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: Wow! It's been almost a year since I published my first chapter to this story. Just two days off I have made many mistakes throughout this story from grammar issues, to continuity flubs, to wasting potential on certain moments. And yet, you all have stuck by me, whether you're just joining me now, or have been following this story since Chapter 1. I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting this story through your following, your favoriting, and, of course, your reviewing. Your comments have been helpful and encouraging, and I could not be more thankful for you all. I know a few of you are reading this story because I wouldn't shut up about it on the Discord servers, which I apologize for, but it's because of all of you that this story has reached the success it has. I'm not Isayama, and he'd probably have a long talk with me about proper story writing, and despite the massive editing spree I'm going to go on down the line, I am satisfied with what I did put out there. 374 reviews, 218 followers, 183 favorites, and part of the OC community on this site. That's amazing, so once again: thank you and enjoy the conclusion of this arc! :)**

 **Random note: I apologize for the intense perspective jumping that's going to occur throughout this chapter. Considering what happens, I hope you guys understand why.**

* * *

Chapter 36: Coordinate

Nothing prepared Historia for what she saw with wide eyes in Annie's hand. It was so hard for her to believe, yet the evidence was right in front of her. Ymir not only captured Dillon, but she _ate_ him. Swallowed him whole.

"…Dillon?" she asked quietly, finding it hard to form sentences. "But… why would… how…?"

"His life for hers," Jean growled in disgust. "Still want to be on her side after that?"

Historia was at a loss for words as it continued to sink into her mind. _Ymir…_

"Holy shit," Hannes swore as he and the cavalry slowed to a halt, dumbfounded. "How the hell is he still alive?"

With a snarl, Annie kicked the motionless body of Ymir aside as her eyes went back to her boyfriend, her gaze softening to concern. _**"Dillon?"**_

Gasping for air, Dillon opened his eyes as he let out violent coughs. He rolled to his stomach, regurgitating the contents from his ordeal. His throat felt like it was on fire and his body ached as the injuries caught up with him. All in all, he was very fortunate to be alive… or unfortunate depending on one's point of view.

 _ **"You're okay,"**_ she assured gently before her eyes drifted to Bertholdt, who was getting up with Eren still attached to his back. As much as she wanted to take care of her lover, there were far more important things to do first.

"I've got him," Mikasa stated darkly as she ran with her swords drawn, ready to finish the job.

However, the taller Shifter thought fast. Detaching Eren, he quickly zoomed away onto a tree just as Mikasa nearly took his head clean off. To make matters worse, Reiner thrust his head forward and trapped Eren inside his mouth, inches away from Mikasa.

"Eren!" she yelled, staggering back in horror.

The Armored Titan lifted his fist and brought it down towards her, but she managed to jump out of the way, a crater forming where she once stood. She grappled to a tree opposite of where Bertholdt was, glaring at him. She might not be able to kill Reiner yet, but the other traitor was wide open and exposed.

Annie's expression going back to cold and determined, she lowered him to Jean. _**"Get him out of here."**_

"Annie…" Dillon said quietly, not wanting her to go.

 _ **"I'm coming back,"**_ she promised as Jean relieved her of him, standing up at the same time Reiner did. _**"Now go!"**_

"Come on, Dillon," Jean grunted, carrying him to his horse. "We're getting out of here."

Knowing what was about to happen, Hannes took charge. "Soldiers, steer clear of the Armored and Female Titans unless you want to get flattened and keep an eye on the Colossal."

Taking the initiative, Mikasa catapulted from the tree straight for Bertholdt, though Reiner decided to try and swat her out of the sky. Fortunately, Annie pulled him away just in the nick of time as Mikasa was forced to get out of the way. The price for that intervention was an armored fist to the gut, causing Annie to roll across the ground in a heap.

 _ **"Damn it, Mikasa!"**_ she growled, steam emitting from her stomach. _**"Pay attention!"**_

 _She's right._ The impulsive woman realized, keeping her distance as Reiner stood between her and Bertholdt. _All Bertholdt has to do is run to Reiner for help, and I'm finished._

Sure enough, the tall Shifter grappled onto Reiner's shoulder, looking like a kicked puppy as he stared at the Female Titan. "Annie, why!? Why did you betray us!?"

Annie glared daggers at him, unable to believe the audacity of his questions. Letting out a growl, she slowly began rising to her feet.

"After everything we've been through, you stab us in the back, and for what!?" he demanded, his voice beginning to shake. "For that freakish bastard!?"

 _ **"Keep talking, asshole!"**_ Annie warned despite knowing he couldn't hear her, getting into her stance. _**"You're just digging yourself deeper."**_

"H-he has to be controlling you!" Bertholdt pointed out desperately. "It's the only reason you would do this! Annie, you have to fight it!"

Making sure that no one was in her way, she began circling the Armored Titan. She wasn't going to let her emotions dictate her actions this time.

Reiner followed her movements carefully, ready for anything.

Bertholdt, on the other hand, didn't know when to quit. He couldn't comprehend what was happening. "What did he do to you, Annie!? What the hell did that son of a bitch do to you!?"

A deep, guttural sound came from Annie's throat as she attempted to do something she hadn't done in so long: try to speak. It was raspy and unpleasant, but she managed to pull it off. **"…He... saved… me…"**

Finally, he shut up, staring at her with horror in his eyes. She really believed the words coming out of her mouth. Dillon's brainwashing tactics ran too deep, and she couldn't escape from them… not without help. As long as that freak lived, Annie would always be under his control.

Apparently, Reiner had the same thoughts, for when he spotted Jean galloping away with Dillon, he charged at them with full speed. Forced to abandon her attack plan once again, Annie tackled him, causing the both of them to crash. As the Titans went down, Bertholdt launched himself into the air, using a tree to propel himself towards the horse. Jean raised his sword to block the incoming attack, but the force sent both him and Dillon off the horse as it continued running away without stopping. Bertholdt made to stab the fallen Psion, though a well-placed kick from Jean interfered with that, knocking him aside.

"Sorry, pal," he stated, getting up, "but you're not going anywhere near him."

"Get out of my way, Jean," Bertholdt demanded, pointing his sword at him. "I don't want to kill you, but I will if you don't step aside."

"Oh, _now_ you care about lives being lost?" Jean shot back in a patronizing tone as he stood between Bertholdt and Dillon. "Could have fooled us."

With a snarl, Bertholdt charged, ready to finish this.

Off to the side, Annie kicked Reiner off her, using her crystallization powers to do more damage. The armor cracked, but it didn't shatter, indicating that she needed more force behind her attacks. Usually, she would target the head and go all out, but with Eren inside his mouth, it was likely that she would kill him in the process. Until she got him out, she was stuck in a handicap, unable to use her best techniques on her foe.

On Reiner's end, he wisely kept his distance. Annie was a far better fighter than him, and she could lay waste to him. That being said, not only did he have his armor going for him, but he also had Eren. He could see that she was pulling her punches, giving him the opportunity to do the exact opposite. Once they were both on their feet, he charged at her, aiming to tackle her into the ground, but she quickly sidestepped, launching a hardened kick right at the shin she broke earlier. The armor hadn't regenerated and it was strong enough to break once again. He fell to one knee, but he fought through the pain. When Annie went for a follow-up attack, he turned around sharply and punched her right in the face, sending her flying.

Off to the side, Bertholdt and Jean continued their fight, slashing away at each other. With Reiner in the way, no one could help Jean or Dillon, so they were on their own for the time being. Jean wasn't a master swordsman, and neither was Bertholdt, but the latter was ranked Number 3 for a reason. He kept Jean on the defensive, striking rapidly with the hope of wearing him down. However, the brown-haired teen was not a slouch, for he managed to kick Bertholdt back the moment he found an opening.

"You pathetic piece of shit," Jean growled, going on the offensive. "We were friends. We trusted you. We believed in you! Makes me wonder how much you laughed at how clueless we were to your real intentions."

"Tell me something, Jean," Bertholdt stated, getting into a sword lock. "Do you think we wanted to come here and kill everyone? Who wants to slaughter people, huh!?"

"Seems to me that you want to kill Dillon more than anything," Jean grunted, trying to push him back.

"He brainwashed Annie," he shot back, "and I'm going to save her."

"Or maybe you're just mad he got to bang Annie and you never will!"

Eyes blazing, he reeled back to cut him in half, but Jean clocked him in the chin with an upward motion from his elbow. Staggering back, Bertholdt watched as Jean charged at him before performing a precise spin kick that knocked him aside. With him out of the way, he went straight for Dillon, who was slowly getting to his knees.

Seeing the Shifter, he knew that he couldn't fight him in his condition, but he couldn't at least stall until Jean reached him. His eyes flashed briefly, a small, but precise, mental attack hitting him. Bertholdt's concentration was thrown as shown by his stumbling, which gave Dillon the opportunity to roll across the ground, making him trip over his body. Thanks to his actions, Dillon found himself panting heavily, drained further. Still, it gave Jean enough time to catch up and he immediately reengaged Bertholdt by kicking him in the face before he could get back up. Bertholdt responded in kind, kicking him back before managing to stand up with a glare on his face. Jean was in the way of saving Annie, and if he had to die, so be it.

 _Son of a bitch!_ Annie growled as she got reacquainted with the ground. Her face was caved in due to the attack, but at least she could still use her Titan form. _I can't let him get the better of me!_

"If Annie can't beat him, what chance to we have?" Connie couldn't help but ask.

"She won't lose," Armin replied, staring at the fight intently while trying to find a way to help. "Not with everything that's at stake."

As the Female Titan rose up with her face healing, she began planning a new strategy. His head wasn't an option, but everything else was fair game. Her protective instincts screamed to get Dillon out of his current predicament, but she had to trust that Jean could handle it. Like she said before, she couldn't split her focus on two different objectives. Once she was back on her feet, she gestured Reiner, who managed to heal his leg again, to come at her.

Growling, Reiner took the bait, charging at Annie, expecting her to dance around his attacks like she usually did. However, just before he got too close, she raised her hardened foot and performed a dropkick on his gut. The blow not only put substantially more cracks in the armor, but it pushed it in, causing his stomach to bleed. Unless he ripped off the armor, it would continue to bleed. Reiner let out a pained grunt, but he didn't have time as Annie, with hardened fingers, got close and gripped his jaw, trying to unhinge it.

Unfortunately, she was completely focused on her task that she didn't notice a recently-regenerated Ymir until the small Shifter climbed up Reiner's body and gouged out her eyes. She let out a cry of pain, covering her nape on instinct as Ymir attempted to reach it.

 _You ruined everything, you bitch!_ Ymir thought to herself as she clawed her way to Annie's nape.

"Ymir, stop!" Historia shouted, finally getting her bearings back.

She didn't respond to her, focused on carving the Shifter out, but Annie managed to grab her and throw her into a large, rock formation. Reiner, however, used the distraction to slam Annie into the ground, pinning her with his body.

"Oh, this is bad!" Sasha commented, worried for her friend.

Hannes took notice that the leg Annie broke earlier, while healed, was still missing the armor pieces that were once there. "Soldiers, go for the exposed spots and keep the other Titan away!"

"Sir, that's suicide!" one of the Garrison troops protested.

"We're expendable!" he shot back. "They aren't."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently, catching the soldiers' attention.

"What the hell is Erwin doing?" Hannes questioned, flabbergasted at the sight ahead. "He's off his rocker!"

* * *

(A few minutes earlier)

Erwin was no stranger to high-risk, high-reward plans. After all, as the commander of the Scouts, he came up with most of them. But when he saw the Armored Titan charging out of the forest with Eren, he knew he had to make the most insane call someone could make. With the hordes of Titans trying to kill him and his men, it gave him the opportunity to stop the Shifters from getting away. Much to the soldiers' fury, he ordered them to let the Titans follow them, essentially using them as bait once again. The horses could easily outrun Reiner and the Titans would be able to pursue them, which gave him the opportunity they needed. Once they were far enough ahead, he circled around straight towards the Shifters with the horde in tow. A few soldiers were picked off from the rear, but there could be no helping them. Not when the fate of the Eldians was at stake.

"This is insanity, Commander!" Eld exclaimed, watching the Titans feast on a few of their men. "At this rate, we're gonna lose half our forces!"

"We don't have a choice," he stated grimly. "Under no circumstances can they take Eren to Marley. If they do, it will only be a matter of time before they wipe us out."

'"Give our hearts for humanity,"' Petra repeated quietly. "Looks like we get to fulfill that vow today."

"Hey, Eld," Gunther said. "This is your chance to raise your pitiful score."

Eld glared at him. "I have 46, dumbass. You have 47."

"And more than half those kills were team kills."

"In the meantime, I'll continue to be safely ahead of you both," Petra pointed out with a smirk. "58, if I recall."

Normally, Erwin would rebuke them for focusing on trying to one-up each other as opposed to rescuing Eren, but he knew what they were doing. It was a guarantee that many soldiers would die today, and this was how they were coping with it. Once the time came, they would get down to business like any good soldier would. Levi Squad, Mike, Nanaba, Gelgar, and everyone else… they were all good soldiers. He only hoped that many of them would be able to return home today no matter how bleak things turned out to be.

* * *

Seeing the imminent danger, Reiner released Annie and quickly stood up with Bertholdt grappling to his shoulder shortly thereafter. He covered Bertholdt with his hand and pinned him to his neck to keep him from getting hurt as he prepared for the Titans. He wished that he could send Erwin straight to hell for this, but there was no time for that. They had to leave.

Growling, he charged towards the Titans.

"Squadron, break!" Erwin ordered. "Make the Titans scatter!"

The soldiers split off, letting the Titans converge onto the Armored Titan. The Shifter, however, managed to plow right into the horde, knocking aside four Titans in the 10-to-15-meter range. The victory was very short-lived as a small Titan grabbed his leg, tripping him up. His stumbling gave the Titans the opportunity to pile on top of him, bringing him to his knees. Reiner struggled desperately to break free of them, but there were too many. Now, he was trapped.

The soldiers retreated towards a hill where they could watch the Titans bring down the Armored Titan. One of the Scouts picked up Jean and Dillon, taking them to safety, while Annie managed to regenerate one eye and followed them. If it wasn't for the fact that Eren was still trapped in his jaw, this would have been a victory.

While everyone's eyes were on Reiner, Historia managed to spot Ymir. She was using her speed to her advantage, jumping on top of the Titans and biting out their napes, but she knew she wouldn't last long. No matter how much Ymir hurt her for everything that she did, Historia still loved her.

 _I'm going to help you, Ymir, and then we are going to have a VERY long talk._ She swore.

"Is… is this Hell?" Jean wondered as he watched Reiner continue to get buried under the mindless monsters.

"Not yet," Erwin answered, "but it will be. Where exactly is Eren?"

"He's trapped in Reiner's mouth," Sasha pointed out bluntly. "He was trying to keep Annie from going all out on him."

 _If things gets too desperate, he might decide to eat Eren._ Quickly, he drew his sword and pointed it to the sky. "All soldiers: charge!"

All the soldiers gave him a flabbergasted look. With all the Titans, they were being asked to go on a suicide run.

"We've come to the moment of truth!" Erwin went on. "Mankind's fate is decided now! There is no future in which we can claim these lands without Eren, and there never will be! Go! Recover Eren from the Armored Titan and retreat!" Saluting, the commander charged towards the horde. "Your heart and soul to the cause!"

Annie and Mikasa were next, the former easily outrunning everyone else. The rest of the soldiers let out a war cry and followed suite, ready to die for their land.

Jean, however, hung back for a moment, resting Dillon against the trunk of a tree. "You should be safe until we get Eren." He handed him his canteen. "Anything happens, tell us."

The nauseated teen nodded slowly. "…Be careful."

He smirked. "Hey, don't worry. You can't get rid of me that easy." Jean looked over to some of the MPs that didn't charge into the fray and yelled, "Hey, jackasses! If something happens to him, I'm cutting your heads off!" Without even waiting for a response, he mounted his horse and took off, swords drawn.

Once Annie, now fully regenerated, reached the Titans, she began by kicking one of the 15-meters into another one. She wouldn't waste her time killing them unless she could make it quick. Right now, she needed to clear a path for the soldiers and not get swarmed in the process. She noticed Ymir was trying to fight through the swarm, and she let her be. Unless Ymir interfered, there was no reason to fight her. She could see that Reiner's hands lowered so he could start punching the Titans off him. A necessary act, but one that not only left Bertholdt exposed, but the vulnerable spots in his jaw.

"It's working!" Jean exclaimed once he caught with the others. "His hands are down."

"Now's our chance," Mikasa replied with a growl.

"Uh, Mikasa, you _can_ see those Titans, right?" he asked, glancing over at her. "I mean, I get it. You're strong, but that's one hell of a mess. Getting through's not gonna be easy."

Erwin raised his sword as he was nearly upon the Titans. "Advance!"

He didn't even see it coming.

A Titan running on all fours lunged out of the trees and bit down on Erwin's arm, yanking him off his horse. The soldiers watched in horror as their commander was carried away.

"COMMANDER ERWIN!" Mike shouted.

That caught Annie's attention as she finally saw what happened. She wanted to go save him, but she knew that Eren was top priority. If she went to save him, more people would be killed.

Erwin had the same line of thought, for as he disappeared into the distance, he managed to yell despite the excruciating pain he was in. "I SAID 'ADVANCE,' DAMN IT! Eren's right in front of you! Do not falter!"

Mike gritted his teeth, greatly angered by the turn of events, but they had to press onwards. Since he was the only Section Commander present, he took charge. "You heard the commander! GO!"

Steeling themselves, the soldiers pressed onwards as the Titans who weren't trying to eat Reiner met them head-on. The moment both sides clashed, pandemonium ensued. With precise movements, the Titans started snatching people off their horses, devouring them quickly. Despite Annie managing to get a good few of them out of the way, there were still casualties. The experienced Scouts managed to weave around the Titans, though a couple were picked off.

Mikasa was the first to break through the lines and saw Reiner only had five Titans left that were keeping him pinned. With a shout, she zoomed to the top, circling around his fist in the process. She tried to go for his jaw, but Bertholdt intervened by slashing at her. She was forced to block the attack which threw off her initial attack. Unfortunately, she realized that she was on a direct course for a Titan and had no room to evade. Its hand wrapped around her body and started tightening, breaking her ribs with a sickening crunch. It had been a long time since she screamed in agony.

"Mikasa!" Jean shouted as he grappled towards the Titan with murder in his eyes. "You piece of shit! Get your hands off her!"

He impaled the Titan directly in the eyes, making it lose his grip on her. She was free, but badly wounded.

Annie made a beeline for Reiner, prepared to rip his jaw off, but he managed to toss one of the Titans into her knocking her down. The Titan managed to sink its teeth into her neck before she sliced open the nape with her fingers. Pushing the corpse off, she got back up and watched two Scouts attempt to go for Reiner's jaw only for him to dislodge their hooks, making them fall to their deaths. Sufficiently angered, she prepared for another charge, but then she heard a familiar voice in her head.

"… _Oh… shit…"_

Eyes widening, she turned her head towards the hill they left Dillon on and saw a twelve-meter Titan moving towards him. There was blood dripping from its mouth, indicating that the MPs met a gruesome demise. He was trying to stand, but there was no way he could dodge the Titan. If she ran fast enough, she could head the Titan off, but it would give Reiner the chance to escape and more soldiers could die in the process. If she stayed, she could save Eren but at the cost of losing Dillon.

"We can handle him!" Jean assured, having heard Dillon through the mental link and seeing Annie's conflicted expression. "Go!"

As if that statement vindicated her, she prepared to make a mad dash for him, but a couple of soldiers reached him before she did. Two Garrison troops swooped in and sliced through the Titan's nape. It wasn't a perfect cut, but it was enough to kill it. As the Titan fell dead, the two soldiers approached him.

* * *

"This isn't a great place to rest, you know," the male soldier snarked.

Dillon's eyes widened. He recognized that voice. Looking up, his jaw dropped. "…Franz? Hannah?"

"Hey, Dillon," Hannah greeted with a smile. "Long time no see."

"How did… why are you…?"

"We'll talk later," Franz stated, hoisting him up. "Right now, we're getting you out of here!"

Dillon nodded as he used Franz's weight to support him, though the leg wound was still giving him trouble. He glanced over to where the Titans were and saw a green blur slice through Reiner's jaw, completely unhinging that. He squinted to see who it was, and he couldn't believe it.

"Is that… Commander Erwin!?"

* * *

Annie thought she had seen it all. A walled country, Titans, Psions, and many other things. She was proven wrong when she saw Erwin suddenly appear with only one arm and detached Reiner's jaw with a single swing of his sword before Bertholdt could even react. It was at this moment she understood why he was the commander of the Scouting Regiment.

Drenched in saliva, Eren fell out of his mouth, plummeting towards the ground, but Mikasa caught him and headed straight for her horse. At long last, he was free.

"All soldiers, retreat!" Erwin commanded.

Making sure that Mikasa and Eren got to the horse all right, Annie began to kill the Titans that were trying to eat the soldiers. She knew she couldn't save everyone, but she could at least try to get most of them.

"Those Titans don't stand a chance against her," Nanaba commented as the Shifter bit out the nape of a twelve-meter.

"Glad she's on our side," Gelgar replied.

That was something the soldiers could all agree on. Seeing the Female Titan fight tooth-and-nail to save them was truly a sight to behold. The questions and doubts about her allegiance slowly started to ebb away. While she could never bring back the lives she took, what mattered was she was doing now.

Nearby, Ymir was pinned to the great by a nine-meter. She didn't have great, physical strength, and it showed as she desperately struggled to be free of the Titan. Fortunately, Historia arrived and sliced open the Titan's nape, saving her. She nearly crashed into a tree as a result, but she managed to land on the side of it just as the Titan fell lifelessly to the ground.

"I did it. I actually killed one," Historia said to herself once she got herself reacquainted with the ground. "You all right!?"

Before she could get an answer, Connie and Sasha rode by, the former picking her up abruptly. "Get away from her!"

Angered by that, Ymir roared and gave chase.

"What the hell were you trying to pull!?" Connie demanded. "We're leaving!"

"Yeah, couldn't you go for some grub right now?" Sasha asked, trying to lighten mood a little.

"I was trying to save her, Connie!" she shot back. "I'm not gonna let her die!"

"Krista, she almost killed Dillon!" he retaliated. "Or did you just forget that in the last five minutes?"

"Don't act like I'm an idiot! Of course I haven't forgotten what she did, but I know that this doesn't have to be the end! If Annie, of all people, could be accepted into the Scouts despite the blood on her hands, I know Ymir can, too! She's done more good than bad!"

"What makes you think Ymir wants to come back to us?" Sasha questioned. "She was hellbent on taking you before, and it looks like she still is!"

"I'll find a way!" Historia swore. "I'm not going to lose her!"

Connie and Sasha exchanged a glance, wondering if it was at all possible. Historia was sounding too desperate, and it was likely she would act out of emotion instead of logic. They needed to make sure she didn't get herself killed in the process.

Suddenly, they saw a large Titan being thrown towards them, narrowly missing them. It landed right in front of the retreating soldiers so hard that it exploded, sending a tidal wave of steam and debris at them. It was strong enough to knock Annie down as well as toss several soldiers off their mounts, but the majority managed to stay on as they tried to find their way out of the fog.

"He's tossing Titans at us now!?" Jean exclaimed, looking back at Reiner with a glare. "That son of a bitch has gone berserk!"

With a rage-filled roar, Reiner lobbed another Titan off him, cutting off another means of escape. Coincidentally, it happened to land near Franz, Hannah, and Dillon, knocking all three of them off their horses.

"How are we gonna get out of here?" Hannah questioned, trying not to panic as more Titans landed around them.

"We'll figure it out," Franz replied, getting Dillon back up as he got a look at his face. "Good God, Dillon!"

It was incredible that the young Psion was still conscious, but his pale face exemplified him needing medical treatment. His eyes were bloodshot and exhausted, there was dried up blood covering his face, and he looked like he was going to faint. And yet, he managed to say in a very raspy voice, "I need... ODM gear."

"Dillon, you look like you're about to die," Hannah protested. "You can't fight in that condition!"

"I'm not fighting," he corrected, struggling to stand on his own two feet. "I need to get somewhere safe. I can't ride a horse with the way I am, and I can't fight through all these Titans. At the same time, I'm not going to let you two drag me through this fog in Titan-infested territory until we suddenly discover a miracle. Now, help me get some damn gear!"

* * *

Adding to the list of people thrown off their horses was Eren and Mikasa. The horse they shared sped off the moment it was back on its four legs.

"Eren!" Mikasa cried out, trying to stand despite the excruciating pain she was in.

Groaning, Eren managed to get up, wiping the saliva off him. He could've lived without being inside another Titan, though he was thankful he wasn't swallowed that time.

Unfortunately, the ground began to shake as a Titan approached them. Getting to their knees, the two saw a skinny, but tall, Titan approach them through the evaporating fog. The moment they could see what the Titan looked like, they staggered back in absolute horror. It had yellow eyes that seemed to glisten, blonde hair that resembled the Female Titan's, and a permanent grin spread throughout its entire face. They had seen this Titan five years ago in Shiganshina. This was the same one that haunted their nightmares.

This was the same Titan that ate Eren's mother.

Eren was petrified to the spot, reliving his terrible memories of that day.

"Get down!" Mikasa exclaimed, shielding him with her body.

The Smiling Titan swung its hand down towards them, either to slap them away or trap them in its fist. Before it could make impact, Hannes got in the way, pushing as hard as he could to keep its hand back.

"Are you insane?" Eren questioned in disbelief. This was the same man who, five years ago, ran away from the same Titan like a coward, but managed to get Eren and Mikasa to safety. Now, it was like watching a completely different man.

With a loud snarl, Hannes sliced off its thumb, forcing the Titan to retract the hand. He turned to the cadets and let out an excited laugh. "Can you believe this luck!? Hah, crazy right!?" He grinned manically at the monster. "Watch me! This is the least that I owe your mother! She'll finally have the vengeance she deserves!" He fired a hook into the Titan and went after it, dodging its attempt to knock him out of the sky.

"No! Hannes!" Eren yelled, knowing that the man was not really trained for this.

Seeing this from afar, both Armin and Jean quickly started galloping towards the scene.

"He needs backup," Jean stated, urging his horse to go faster.

Unfortunately, a Titan was thrown at the two, narrowly missing them as it skidded across the ground. It stopped them in their tracks, though Armin nearly freaked out as another Titan landed directly in front of him.

"Reiner," the blonde boy said, looking over at him in shock. "What the… doesn't he care if Eren gets eaten?"

"Move it or lose it, asshole!" Jean shouted angrily despite knowing the Armored Titan couldn't hear him. "I'm tired of your shit!"

He was not the only one.

* * *

With a loud roar, Annie charged directly towards Reiner, murder in her eyes. Seeing her, Reiner lobbed another Titan at her, but this time, she was ready for that. She sidestepped the flying Titan, hardened her foot, and delivered another dropkick to Reiner's gut. Combined with her speed, and the fact there were smaller Titans holding onto his legs, the Shifter tripped and fell on his back, yet Bertholdt managed to grapple away before he could get crushed. To keep him from getting ideas, Annie performed a spin kick that took down the tree he was perched on, forcing him to retreat.

Sensing new prey, four Titans that held Reiner down started approaching Annie, who simply hardened her fingers. When it came to mindless Titans, there was no need to use up all her energy. Just some quick precision.

The first Titan that came to bite her received a punch to the gut before getting its nape sliced over. She tossed the corpse into the second Titan before ripping the jaw off the third Titan. A quick slash with her fingers and the thing was dead. The last one was about to reach her, but a Scout flew by, slicing open the nape. She looked to see that it was Eld, who managed to land on the side of a tree.

"We've got your back," he assured as the other members of Levi Squad joined him.

Nodding, Annie punted a three meter that tried going for her legs before facing Reiner, who was back on his feet.

"More Titans heading this way!" Petra stated, pointing to the west.

"Bastards just keep coming," Gunther growled.

"Take them down hard and fast," Eld ordered, launching himself at the incoming wave.

The others followed suite, swords at the ready. It was time for this nightmare to end.

* * *

Ymir had no idea what to think anymore. It was all so simple earlier: get to Marley, trade Dillon in for her life, and keep Historia safe for as long as she could. Annie threw that plan out the window, and Erwin crushed it into a million pieces with the arrival of the Titans. Not to mention the fact that Historia was never gonna be on her side again after what she did to Dillon.

Suddenly, a hook penetrated her head and she saw Historia herself land on it.

"Krista!" Connie shouted.

"No! No more," she replied. "Sorry, but from now on, I'm Historia." With that out of the way, she glared at her. "I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. Why would you hand me over to save yourself if you already had Dillon, and trust me, I'm still pissed off at you for that. He's worth so much more to these people than I ever will be, so that only means one thing: you were trying to protect me again! Everything you've ever done has been for my sake! You'd burn this country to the ground if it meant I would live!"

Ymir let out a sad sigh, confirming the accusations.

"Heads up!" Connie warned as a fourteen-meter took interest in them.

"Listen to me," Historia urged, preparing for a fight. "You've been teaching me something ever since we met, and it's time for you to take your own advice. Do you understand me? Stop putting your life on the line! You need to live your own life! Live it with me!" A smile appeared on her face. "I've never told you this before, but however bad things get, as long as we're together… I'm not afraid!"

Without any hesitation, Historia launched herself into the air, performing a nice spin as she sliced open the nape of the Titan. Connie and Sasha soon followed in her footsteps, going after the other Titans in the area. Ymir let out a loud shriek, ready to tear through any Titan that got in her way. It was time to cut loose.

* * *

In terms of strength, Reiner had Annie beat, but he didn't have her combat prowess. Without Eren, there was nothing keeping her at that handicap anymore. Since his leg work was weak, Annie went for the unarmored one once more, breaking it swiftly and efficiently. He tried to strike her, but she was too quick, dodging and returning the punch, striking his jaw as hard as she could. Immediately, his jaw was obliterated, like with Eren. He roared in pain and went to strike, but she didn't wait for it to land. She jumped into the air and brought her body down on top of him, driving her hardened elbow into his skull. Blood poured from the severe wound as he sunk to his knees.

With a grim look on her face, Annie raised her leg, preparing to sever his head. With the sides of his neck finally exposed, she'd be able to pull it off.

A hook impaled into her planted leg and before she could figure out what was going on, she cried out in pain as two blades sliced open her Achilles Heel. Without the weight to support her, Annie fell to a sitting position. Covering her nape to be on the safe side, she spotted Bertholdt landing onto another tree, giving her an apologetic look. Her response was a roar as she stumbled towards him with the intent to kill. Reiner managed to get close enough to punch Annie away from them. She rolled across the ground, knocking over a few Titans and horses before skidding to a stop.

"Reiner, you all right?" Bertholdt asked, concerned.

The Armored Titan responded with a single nod, concentrating on healing his leg.

 _Annie, I'm so sorry._ He thought as he went back to Reiner's shoulder. If he was faster, he could've killed Dillon and saved her. Maybe not now, but someday, he would be able to get her back from that son of a bitch that forced his way into her life.

* * *

 _ **"Bastards,"**_ Annie growled, panting heavily as she concentrated on healing.

A ten-meter took an interest in her, running with frozen excitement. Sighing, she hardened her other leg in preparation, but then a hook latched onto the back of the Titan. Her eyes widened when she saw Dillon swoop in and kill the Titan. She rolled out of the way of the falling corpse just as he stumbled down, crashing against the trunk of a tree.

The ODM gear he got from a dead Scout was mostly intact, but Dillon was doing badly. He more than wore himself out after that stunt, and he felt like he was carrying a ton on his back that was going to crush him any second. "This wasn't… one of my best ideas," he admitted weakly as he detached the broken blades.

" _ **Dillon, what the hell are you doing here!?"**_ Annie demanded, getting onto her stomach.

"I was thrown off the horse when… I tried to get away," Dillon answered, coughing. "Oh, God, that hurts."

 _ **"And you decided to jump into the fray in your condition,"**_ she retorted, exasperated.

He shook his head. "No, Annie. Not this time. I… I came because I need your help."

She raised an eyebrow at that, confused. _**"What are you talking about?"**_

Dillon gestured to the soldiers that were being swarmed by the Titans. "Look at what's happening. They're stumbling around trying to get the hell out of here, and until we find Eren, we're stuck here. If they tried to protect me… it would be more likely than not they would get eaten as well as me." He gritted his teeth in pain, trying to fight his body's instinct to give in. "I can't fight anymore. I don't think I can even stand. I'm in so much pain right now… but I know if I pass out… I'll die." Dillon looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Annie… I know you're busy. I know you have so much to deal with right now… but I feel less like a piece of shit asking you for help than I would if I asked them. I am so sorry for being so selfish and for putting you in this position… but I don't want to die."

There was no way she could be mad at him after that. Giving him a smile of assurance, she gently wrapped her hand around him as she began to stand, her regeneration nearly complete. _**"Don't apologize. I can handle fighting one-handed. It's something I've done before."**_

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Annie."

 _ **"Thank me when we find Eren and get out of here,"**_ she replied, holding him against her abdomen. Technically, the safest place was her jaw, but given the condition he was in, it would only make things far worse for him.

As the Titans approached, she hardened her expression. She only hoped she could reach Eren in time… wherever he was.

* * *

"Mikasa, stop!" Eren exclaimed when she got up to fight. "You're in no shape to…" At this point, he realized what needed to be done. "My hands. Help me!"

"What will you do?" she questioned.

"Come on!" he begged. "I have to be the one who kills that thing!"

Mikasa gritted her teeth in frustration and began cutting him loose.

"I ain't done with you yet!" Hannes shouted, leaving a deep gash in the Smiling Titan's heel. For a guy who never fought a Titan in his life, he was doing a really good job at not getting killed.

The moment his bonds were cut loose, Mikasa could see that his hands were nearly healed. His fingers were tiny stubs, but with the constant steam emitting from them, it wouldn't be long before he was back to normal.

"This one belongs to me!" Eren growled, getting up. "Wait here!"

"Eren!" Mikasa protested, doubling over in pain. "Don't go! We have to get you out of here!"

"Not until I settle the score! Stand back!"

With that declaration and a clear goal in mind, he bit down on his hand.

Fate seemed to have it out for him because nothing happened aside from blood pouring out from his self-inflicted wound.

"WHAT!?"

Hannes dived down towards the leg and delivered another gash on the same heal. One more should be enough to bring the it down. The Smiling Titan managed to dislodge his hook, but he quickly reattached it, continuing his attack.

"No!" Eren snarled, repeatedly biting down and ignoring how incredibly painful this was and how much blood he was losing. "Don't do this! Not now!" He was so angry, so desperate, that he ripped a large chunk off his hand.

"Eren, stop," Mikasa begged, not wanting to see him hurt himself anymore.

He ignored her, continuing his biting treatment as if he was a wild animal.

One final cut and the entire heel was torn off, forcing the Smiling Titan to its knees. Hannes gave a triumphant grin, ready to finish the job. Unfortunately, its aim was true this time as a giant hand wrapped around his body. The Titan didn't even wait as it brought Hannes to its mouth, who struggled to get out of its grasp.

Eren bit as hard as he could into his mutilated hand. _Come on! Transform, damn you! Don't let this be for nothing!_

No matter how hard Eren bit down and no matter how hard he struggled, it didn't stop the Smiling Titan from biting down onto Hannes from the waist down, ripping it off.

Eren and Mikasa froze as his blood splattered on them. Hannes's eyes, which were wide open with terror, started to close as his life quickly ebbed away. One of the last links they had to their life in Shiganshina was dead because he tried to save them.

It finally hit him as he began to realize so many people had died today trying to save him. Scouts, Garrison troops, and even MPs all banded together to get him home. He could smell the putrid stench of the carnage all around him, making him wonder if any of his comrades, his friends, suffered the same fate for his sake. And when push came to shove, once again, he couldn't fulfill the duty he swore. Because he was weak. Because he was hopeless.

Unable to take it anymore, Eren sank to his hands and knees, shaking as steam emitted from his wounds. At first, the broken noises coming from him sounded like sobs, but then it quickly turned into broken laughter. After all this time, he had finally snapped.

"Eren?" Mikasa asked nervously. She had never seen him like this.

"Look at you!" he raged, tears streaming down his face. "You haven't changed one fucking bit! You're still as useless as you've ever been! Nothing's changed!" He began screaming in absolute agony, wanting nothing more than to die right here and now. When he was unable to keep going, his voice dropped to a near-whisper as he cried his heart out. "I'm sorry, Mother. I still can't do anything. No matter how hard I try, I'm just a worthless, little kid."

Eren couldn't count how many times he had to be rescued by Mikasa throughout his life. Armin was the one who always came up with the best plans. Dillon was the one who stopped Annie and delivered the Eldians exactly what they needed. Even Annie was a far, better Titan Shifter than he ever could be.

"Eren…"

He looked over to Mikasa, who had tears in her eyes and… a smile on her face.

"Stop," she chided softly. "That isn'ttrue."

His eyes widened in shock. It had been so long since he saw her smile. However, he couldn't help but look past her and see the chaos going on. Armin was desperately trying to keep a Titan from eating him and Jean, Annie was killing every Titan that came near her despite being one-handed, Ymir was-.

"Hey," Mikasa said, getting his attention. She didn't want him to focus on that anymore. She needed him to hear this. "Thank you. I've been meaning to tell you that. For fighting… for always standing by me. Thank you… for pushing through, for showing me how to live with purpose. I'm grateful." She tugged at her scarf that she always wore as her voice began to break. "My scarf… for always wrapping it around me. Thank you."

There was so much Eren wanted to say to her. He never truly understood why Mikasa valued him so much. He thought she felt indebted to him for life, that everything she did for him was because of that, but there was so much more than that. She found admirable qualities in him, qualities that he never saw himself as having.

Now tears were coming down both their faces as Mikasa began to lean in. If they were going to die, at least they could die together.

At that moment, Eren had an epiphany. For the past five years, he had one single drive: to kill every single Titan in existence. His thoughts had been nothing on revenge for the life that was taken from him, for the home that was destroyed, and for the mother he failed to save. However, because of that, he pushed away the people who stood by him away many times because he was unable to stop looking backwards. Now, though… he could finally see.

He stood up, facing the Smiling Titan as it finished devouring Hannes. "Mikasa…" He turned his head towards her as he made her a promise. "I will always wrap your scarf. Always and forever. That's a promise!"

Eren's hands finally finished regenerating as the Smiling Titan reached out for him. Titan or not, he was going to go down fighting. With the loudest yell he ever released from his body, Eren swung his fist and hit the palm of the Titan's hand.

* * *

Annie let out a gasp as she felt a surge of power course through her body for a brief moment. _**"What the hell!?"**_

"Annie, what's wrong?" Dillon asked, feeling that shock through their bond.

She didn't answer him, her eyes being drawn to an open plain in the distance. Everything seemed to have stopped the moment she felt that energy. She quickly figured out that Eren was the cause of this, and if she felt this, then the other Shifters did too. _**"Is he…?"**_

The question died in her throat as the area shook from a roar that emitted from Eren. It wasn't a typical yell; this one was overlaid with the sounds of a million, Titan, war cries. A single Titan ran to where Eren was… and proceeded to tackle the Smiling Titan to the ground. The moment those Titans impacted the earth sparked a chain reaction. Every single Titan in the vicinity abandoned the people they were fighting in favor of going after the Smiling Titan. Soldiers and Shifters alike watched as these creatures proceeded to devour the Titan, quickly reducing it to nothing more than a skeleton.

 _ **"He really… he really**_ **is** _ **the Coordinate!"**_ Annie said, her eyes wide with shock as she held Dillon out so he could see.

"This is… this is… unbelievable," he replied, unable to comprehend this.

In the distance, she could see the small figures of Eren and Mikasa. Due to her injuries, Eren was carrying her on his back. Holding onto Dillon tight, she started running for them. Sadly, she wasn't the only one. To her right, despite being injured, Reiner was making a beeline for the Shifter as well. One could only imagine how pissed off he was at the moment.

Eren skidded to a stop, daring to glare at the Armored Titan. "GET AWAY FROM US!"

Annie felt that same surge of energy go through her mind after that order.

"You bastards!" he swore. "I'll kill you where you stand!"

The Titans immediately stopped feasting on the Smiling Titan, their eyes turning bright red. Reiner froze in his tracks as the Titans charged for him and Bertholdt.

"What the hell is going on?" Eren asked, trying to make sense of things.

 _ **"Eren, Mikasa!"**_ Annie exclaimed, skidding to halt behind them as she lowered her hands. _**"Get on quick!"**_

Nodding, the two climbed on, Eren and Dillon lowering Mikasa down easy. Once secure, she held the three close to her body and ran like Hell as the Titans piled onto Reiner once more.

"All soldiers, retreat!" Erwin ordered, managing to get onto a horse.

As everyone began falling back towards the Walls they could hear the panicked screams of Bertholdt and the pained roars of Reiner. Part of Annie grieved a little for them, but she knew it had to be done. She only hoped that the next bearers of the Armored and Colossal Titans would survive long enough to be found.

"Hey, ugly, get with the program!" Connie suddenly exclaimed. "We were given an order!"

Those words prompted Annie to stop as she turned around to see what the commotion was about.

Ymir stopped running, looking back at the two Shifters, considering something. She reached out to Historia and wrapped her hand around her, patting her on the head with her pointer finger.

 **"Please forgive me,"** she said sadly.

 _ **"Ymir, don't you dare,"**_ Annie growled, wishing she was mentally linked to her.

"What?" was all Historia could say, not knowing what she was doing.

Without looking back, Ymir charged towards the Shifters.

 _ **"That idiotic bitch!"**_ Annie snarled, wishing she could smash her head in. That moron was actually saving them.

"What the hell is she doing?" Eren demanded.

Dillon didn't say anything as he slumped over, falling flat on his back in her palm.

That snapped Annie back to reality as she began running faster. _**"Dillon!"**_

"Come on, man, stay with me," Eren urged, holding him up.

The Psion found himself unable to talk, verbally or mentally. The adrenaline wore off and his body couldn't take it anymore.

Mikasa moved over and felt his head, eyes widening. "He's burning up." Quickly, she pulled out her canteen and tore off a piece of her cloak. "It's not much, but it should help until we get back."

 _ **"Dillon, you have… conscious…"**_

Whatever they were all saying was lost as he began to succumb to his injuries, his vision going dark. He needed sleep. He needed to make the pain go away. In a matter of seconds, Dillon knew no more.

* * *

 **AN: And that, my friends, is the conclusion to the Clash of the Titans Arc. I hope you all enjoyed the journey to this point and the small changes that were made.**

 **I was so close to killing off someone, and then I thought... not yet.**

 **Mini-Rant: I'm gonna be honest: I. Hated. Ymir! After everything we learned about her, after her declaring that she would do anything for Historia, she just turned her back on her to save the Shifters just because she wanted to square a debt! If the Colossal and Armored Titans kill anybody later, blame Ymir because she saved them! Ugh! Rant over.**

 **Announcement 1: I think I can put out one or two more chapters (they are gonna be filler), but whatever the case may be, this story is going to go on hiatus until Season 3 comes out. I work better when I can see things visually. So, apologies for that. However…**

 **Announcement 2: This will give me time to start working on the AU I have a poll on in my profile. The voting is over and the consensus is the "What if Annie kidnapped Dillon during the Expedition?" AU. This one will be more character-driven than plot-driven, so you get to see how their relationship pans out in dire circumstances. However…**

 **Announcement 2.5: This story is going to force me to do something I've never done before: work outside the canon script. That means I won't be able to copy lines while inserting my own twist on certain things. All the dialogue and most of the scenes are going to be of my own design. So, with that said, I need some serious help. I need a really good co-writer who can help me do this sort of thing because I have little to no experience in it. It will also help if said co-writer has a really good handle on Annie's character. If anyone is interested, please send a direct message to my profile.**

 **So, I will see you guys next chapter, or when I post the first chapter of "The Kidnapped AU" (Possible title change if I can think of a better one).**


	37. Good News, a Dilemma, and a Question

Hey, everyone. It's been a while, hasn't it? Let me say this right off the bat: I am not quitting this story. Quite the opposite. I honestly thought that putting my story through a massive editing spree wouldn't be too hard, but, as it turns out, I found a lot of problems with my story. With the help of another co-writer, Necromancy101 (thank you so much), we've been working hard on getting these chapters in better condition. Right now, we're finishing up the Trost Arc. So, here's what you all have to look forward to:

Proper character development for Mikasa and Eren.

Smoother continuity from chapter to chapter.

A new Chapter 1.

The Psion Arc getting redone and making things much more interesting.

A new cover page.

And finally, a new chapter or two.

Now, here's what I need your advice on. Currently, my story is at 416 reviews, 231 favorites, 263 followers, part of one community, and at nearly 100,000 views at the time of this post. Thank you all so much for that. However, this is where the dilemma comes in.

I could just plug in the re-edited chapters and make an announcement saying I did so, but with the new chapters coming into the mix, the reviews themselves will be tossed around to different chapters. Anyone who checks the reviews will have no idea what's going on with random statements on the wrong chapters.

I could take down the story itself and reupload it fresh, giving a new experience to everyone, but I also lose all the reviews, the favorites, and the followers.

And this leads to my issue with myself. The more popular your story, the more likely you start losing sight of the fans and become more engrossed with the numbers. I love the fact that my story has so many comments, favorites, and followers, but I think I'm enjoying too much of that fact that the numbers are growing. Heck, I even have hope that my story will end up on the TV Tropes page. If I take this story down, it's all gone. Selfish, isn't it? I don't know if that makes sense to any of you out there, but there it is.

The best moment for me when writing this story was Chapter 22, the moment when Dillon talks down Annie. So far, it's been the best part of my story from my perspective and yours, it seems. All the comments I received really touched my heart. It's the most reviewed chapter of my entire story, and I'm grateful for that. So, on a very personal note, I really don't want to see those comments go away.

As I'm typing this, I'm beginning to lean towards taken this story down once the edits are complete and re-uploading the new and improved story. I want this story to be worth your time, be worth your comments, be worth it all. In the condition it's in right now, save for some chapters, it's not ready. But if I'm still wanting the high numbers, wanting my story to get recognized on TV Tropes, am I still being selfish and arrogant? I honestly don't know.

Feel free to tell me what you think whether in review format or in messaging. Before Season 3's release (hopefully in a couple months' time or less), you will get the new and enhanced version of Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale. I look forward to moving on to the next segment of this story. Take care! :)


	38. First Remastered Chapter is Being Posted

**I can't believe I didn't think of posting a version 2 of this story and leaving the old story alone. I feel like a moron. -_-**

 **Anyways, onto the good news: the first chapter of Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale Remastered is up, and it's quite different from the first chapter in this version. Bear in mind updates will be consistently different. Some fast, some slow. I hope you all enjoy taking this journey once again, and thank you so much for your support! :)**


End file.
